


Lines of Salt

by WhisperingQuill



Category: Carmilla - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Eventual depictions of violence, F/F, Gen, I Don't Even Know, Maybe a Cult-i-verse, Slow Build, Tags Are Hard, eventual trigger warnings, what am i even doing?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:34:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24534703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhisperingQuill/pseuds/WhisperingQuill
Summary: Mysterious cats.  Flocks of crows. Odd and grotesque "ritual" sites.  Something strange is happening at Silas University, and the campus authorities don't seem to be doing anything about them.  As the occurrences increase, and it becomes more obvious that danger is growing, it becomes a race against time for a motley crew of students to solve and stop these mysteries... before whatever is being called to finally answers.
Relationships: LaFontaine/Lola Perry, Laura Hollis/Carmilla Karnstein
Comments: 5
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**I** n the early light of dawn they approached- figures in soft greens and browns. Linen hoods shrouded their features, but they moved with the ease and practice of those who had been at this task many times. Beads and feathers adorned their ritual garments, in the drab colors of wild birds hunted from these very woods and polished natural grain instead of painted. The leather belts over their garments were elaborate only in the intricate weave of the thin strips that had been used to make them, and their bags, simple burlap or buckskin, had no decoration to differentiate one from the next.

One figure, ahead of the others, reached into a smaller bag at their side, grasping and throwing a fine white substance across the symbols that had been carved into the dirt at this site. Where it landed in a broad spray, the ground hissed and smoked, and the other figures crowded closer, donning gloves from their nondescript bags. Another figure reached in and spread more of the white granules, causing yet more smoke to billow up, which dissipated as it rose through the branches of the trees around them. Looking up, the second figure saw that, at this site at least, the leaves had already withered and began to curl, the radiation of sinister power having leached the life from the delicate leaves.

As the smoke cleared and hissing abated, the rest of them got to work, carefully digging up the lines of the symbols drawn, tucking the earth and the Summoners’ Grind that had been used to draw the symbols into leather bags to be washed and purified. When all signs of the symbols had been dug up, ruts in the earth wider and rougher than what had been drawn in creation, the figures took small hand spades and rakes from yet more bags. There had not been a creature or item left within the ritual circle to be broken or cleansed, but blood had been spilled across the lines to give them power. Where the symbols had not been drawn, and to hide the shapes that had been there, the dirt would be turned and raked, with cleansing ash and soot from ritual fires mixed in to dissipate whatever power remained. In a month, the site would show no traces of the ritual having been performed, save perhaps a few dying branches and a bare section where grass or moss could have been.

In a tree meters away a small black cat watched in silence, eyes hooded lazily as she observed. None of the figures took notice of her, absorbed in their work as they were, and her tail twitched impatiently as she waited for them to complete the task of cleansing the ritual site.

* * *

**“H** i! Sorry. Sorry, the Summers had to deal with something this morning. It took so much longer than I’d thought.” Danny smiled charmingly at her, and Laura could feel herself blush a little.

“No, no! It’s okay! Totally fine. Not a problem, buddy!” Laura stepped back and watched with wide eyes as Danny entered the room, kicking herself mentally for talking way too loudly, and too fast. “I mean, it’s okay. Um, let me get us some snacks. You’re probably hungry if it was a long morning. I’ve got…” She went to the little food cubby and mini fridge, and frowned down at the food. “Chips, cookies, soda, pretzels, ooh a bag of marshmallows…” She started grabbing some things, listening as Danny sat on one of the creaky beds. She couldn’t look up - Danny might be sitting on her bed, and she was pretty sure she’d ramble even worse at that. She’d already called her _ buddy_ once, who knew what would come out of her mouth next.

“Laura.” The tone was concerned and a bit reproachful. Laura paused in her collection of study-snacks and peeked back up to look around. With a bag of chips hanging from her teeth, and two grape sodas and a pack of cookies cradled in her arms, she frowned in confused anxiousness at Danny. She hadn’t thought she was rambling _that_ badly… was she coming off as a complete idiot? Danny had sounded _exactly_ like her father did when she was about to get in trouble for staying up all night to binge YouTube.

“Laura… why do you have a cat in your dorm?” Danny had sat herself on Betty’s bed, and instead of focusing on where Laura was still half-crouched, she was looking skeptically at the curled ball of black fur that had, once again, taken up residence on Laura’s bed. Laura huffed around the bag clenched in her teeth, and nudged the fridge closed again with her foot. “You know pets aren’t allowed, right?”

She rolled her eyes at Danny, much calmer now, and piled the hoard of snacks onto her desk, dropping the chip bag along with everything else. “She’s not _my_ cat. I don’t even know how she keeps getting in here!” Laura huffed a little and moved to try to shoo the cat off of her yellow pillow, pouting at the shed hair. “How did you get in here again?” The cat growled lightly and refused to budge, curling up more tightly with only the tip of its tail flicking in irritation to show that it was awake.

“What do you mean?” Danny’s expression was a strange mix of soft confusion and concern, and Laura lifted her gaze to pout at her.

“She’s been sneaking into the dorm for about a month. I have no idea where she keeps coming from.” Laura huffed dramatically and reached over to scratch lightly at the cat’s neck and back. With a low, sleepy purr it uncurled and looked up at her with languid judgement. “Sneaky Kitty.”

“You named it, didn’t you?” Danny asked with a broad grin, shaking her head. “Laura, don’t name it if you’re trying to keep it out.”

“Of _course_ I didn’t name her; she’s not my cat!” Laura huffed, and the cat grumbled lightly as it turned a dark gaze to glare calmly at Danny. Laura was blushing brightly as she tried to match that glare, and Danny smirked in response.

“What did you try to name her?”

“Crookshankes, like Hermione’s cat, even though they don’t look anything alike.” Laura mumbled as she blushed and pouted more. “But she just _growled_ and hissed every time. Kitty is just easier than trying to give her a name. _Moody_ cat.”

"You are _far_ too cute." Danny teased as she stood to come closer, making Laura flush brightly in pleased embarrassment. "But you do know that you can get in trouble for keeping pets in the dorms. It's in the student handbook… something about restrictions due to experiments and sacrifices."

"I told you, she's not my pet. She just keeps sneaking in here somehow. I'll take her outside or lock her out, make sure there are no openings to the room left behind, and she'll just show up again!" Laura huffed angrily, then reached out and dragged a hand casually along the cat's back in an absentminded stroke. It was true. She’d taken to triple-checking that the window was locked closed, the door closed, and was regularly checking for holes or hidden openings in the walls and corners. "I have no idea how she keeps getting in."

"Well, you could always report her to your floor don." Danny shrugged, reaching down to try petting the cat as well. "Lola Perry right? She'd probably call animal control or whatever and get the cat removed. You should at least do it so they have it on record that you're not hiding her here."

With an angry hiss, the cat swiped with claws out, opening several angry cuts along Danny's forearm even as Laura grabbed it and yanked it into her arms protectively. "You can't call animal control on her!" The words were out before Laura could help it, and the cat continued to growl and hiss angrily at Danny from where it dangled awkwardly in Laura's arms. "What if she's a mouser and keeps the dorms free of pests?! You know how college students are, leaving food out. It's bound to attract mice and stuff. She probably hunts all of those down like a good girl!"

Danny cradled her hand to her, inspecting the scratch just above her wrist before looking up a little disbelievingly at Laura. The wound was shallow at least, though it stung strangely. "Seriously Laura? I thought you didn't want her in here?"

"Well yeah, she sheds all over my bed and pillow, but I don't want them to trap her and, I don't know, put her down or something." Laura huffed, and readjusted how the cat was held in her arms, scratching gently behind soft ears to hopefully calm the angry growls and hisses still directed at her TA. "I'll figure out a way to keep her from getting in somehow. Don't worry about it."

“Right… sure. I’m gonna wash this off in your, um, bathroom, if that’s okay.” Danny sighed, gesturing to the shallow wound. Laura’s eyes widened as she nodded, a blush across her cheeks as she realized that she hadn’t taken much notice of the scratch as it happened.

“Oh shoot, are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah no big deal. I’m just gonna wash this.” Danny stood and offered an awkward grin, slipping quickly into the restroom and running hot water to clean it. If the cat was a stray, who knew what was on its claws, or why the shallow cuts already itched and stung.

"That wasn't very nice Kitty." Laura's whisper was met with a look that, despite coming from an animal, could only be described as sardonic. "It wasn’t. Don’t scratch Danny like that.” She stood and moved to the door, intending to make another hopeless try at shutting the cat out. “Because of that, you get to go outside again. I need to study, and you _have_ to stop sneaking in here and shedding all over my bed. It doesn't matter how cute you are, I'll get in trouble if they catch you in here…. And you shed."

The cat gave her that same look again before leaping unceremoniously from her arms and strutting away down the hall. "I'm pretty sure cats can't understand logic like that, Laura." Danny's voice behind her was fond, but amused, and Laura quickly spun and shut the door to prevent any chance of the cat sneaking back in that way. "Okay, let's see what you have so far…"

* * *

**I** t had been a good three hours of careful notes and studying, helping Laura to organize her syllabus and notes, separating a few books that could be used for the girl’s final project. Danny leaned back from the papers and books that had gotten spread across Laura’s bed as they worked, stretching her back with a satisfying pop and taking stock of the wrappers and cans that had accumulated in Laura’s waste bin. The shorter girl had been adorably attentive when she’d closed the door behind the moody feline, careful to pull out a first-aid kit to sanitize and tape gauze over the small scratch. Now she sat slumped at her desk, forehead resting on one of the three books they’d determined would work best for her project. Danny wasn’t positive that she hadn’t fallen asleep like that.

“I think I’m gonna head out pretty soon. I’ll help you get cleaned up, but I have patrol duty with some of the girls tonight, and I need a real meal before that happens.” Danny stretched again, groaning a little as she felt another pop in her spine. She’d been hunched over for far too long. Laura groaned in return. “ _You_ should eat something too.”

“I have Choko Crunch… and more snack cakes.” Laura’s voice was as creaky as Danny’s back, which did little to assure the TA that Laura hadn’t fallen asleep.

“You know that pretty much _everything_ you have to eat here, and that we’ve had today, is filled with polysyllabic chemicals.” Danny lectured, shaking her head and stacking the resources by her neatly. Turning to gesture at the miniature food area of the dorm, her brows knit together and she huffed. “Did you open the door while I wasn’t looking?”

“Um, no?” Laura stood up finally, turning around and stretching her neck. She gestured with her head at where the door to the room was still firmly closed. “Still closed. I would have locked it, but, um… you know… that would be weird. That would be weird right? Locking it? Because we’re just studying. And Betty might not come back to the room much, but I don’t wanna lock her out. She might come back today. Or tonight. Probably tonight. So it’s not locked.” Laura huffed, frowning, and looked up at the ceiling. With a deep breath, obviously collecting herself, she spoke again. “But, um, no. I haven’t opened the door. Why?”

Danny scowled firmly at the black cat perched on the window ledge, tail twitching, as it leveled her with a smug stare. Where the scratch was bandaged on her arm, it tingled and burned a little bit, and if Danny didn’t know better, she’d say that it was in reaction to being closer to the troublesome feline. “Then how did it get back in?”

Laura turned to look at where Danny was watching the cat, and huffed out a frustrated sigh in answer. “I don’t _know_. She keeps _doing_ that.” Laura groaned, and they watched as the black cat dropped gracefully from the ledge and sauntered toward Laura’s bed, leaping up to make itself comfortable on her pillow once more. “I can put her out into the hall again…”

“I do need to go.” Danny frowned at the cat, then turned to smile charmingly at Laura again. “I can carry her outside this time. Make it harder for her to get back in.”

That statement was greeted with an angry growl from where the cat had curled up, and Laura winced a little. “I’m pretty sure she’ll just scratch you again if you try to pick her up. I’ll try to lock her out again later.” Laura bit her lip and stepped closer, reaching for Danny’s arm to toy a little bit at the light gause and tape she’d used to patch up the previous scratch. “Are you okay, by the way? It doesn’t still hurt, right? I’ve never seen her scratch someone before. I’m really sorry.”

“Well, if she’s not your pet, you probably haven’t seen a lot of what she’s like. I’ll be fine.” Danny smirked, and Laura huffed at her in mock irritation at that statement. “Some of the Summers make poultices and stuff for scratches like this. We get them on patrol sometimes.” Laura nodded. “I’ll see you later. Maybe, um… maybe we could catch a meal. A real meal. With real food.”

“Very funny. This is chocolatey and tastes good. And sugar is brain food.” Laura rolled her eyes, and Danny laughed on her way out the door. “But… maybe.”

“Great!” Danny smiled brightly, glared once more at the cat, and then slipped away. She barely heard, behind her, Laura shaming Kitty for sneaking in again, and something about manners.

* * *

**T** he sunset, seen through the murky attic window, would have been dreary even without the old grime and soot that distorted the glass. It had been an overcast day, the sky shadowed and sickly from the accumulation then dissipation of power that had occurred on the campus grounds. An individual, lounging on a low folding chair, tapped a few fingers in silent contemplation against the cracked, old plastic of the chair’s armrest. The attic was dimly lit with too many candles, old wax spilled across a variety of low tables and surfaces, and the old ritual circle, its shape stained from years of blood spilled and painted in the same design, glowed dimly in the fading light of dusk and candles. Even with the power no longer siphoning from the site that had been chosen at the edge of the woods, it pulsed, awakened, ready to feed again.

As the figure stood, the creaking chair left behind, they waved a hand and moved to the attic stairs, the candles all snuffed at once with the motion. They had spent enough time in contemplation of the days ahead, there were duties to be attended to below, and plans to be progressed.


	2. Chapter 2

**T** he knock on the door was rapid and just loud enough to wake the cat that had been, at least previously, sleeping peacefully. She had curled in a warm patch of sun from the window, tail swishing gently as she slept, and deep, dark eyes slowly cracked open to glare at the offending noise. Where she had been carefully inspecting pictures and notes at her computer, Laura turned and looked as well. Laura stood and walked to the door, offering a gentle, grateful smile at the cat for finally choosing somewhere to sleep other than her yellow pillow.

“Hello! My name is Lola Perry, your floor don, and this is LaFontaine.” Standing in the doorway were two redheads, both smiling, though the one with longer, curling hair looked just this side of manic. “We met at the dorm orientation?”

“Right… hi.” Laura smiled a little awkwardly, trying to angle her body around the door and willing herself to suddenly be a larger person, taller, blocking off sight of the rest of the dorm. “Um… Is there something I can help you with?” She held her smile, clenching her teeth to keep more, anxious words locked behind them.

“Like Perry said, I’m LaFontaine, but most people end up shortening it to LaF. My pronouns are they-them.” It was the shorter of the two, with lighter hair in a well-styled undercut. Laura’s smile felt and looked more genuine as she took their hand to shake.

“Right. Hi. Laura Hollis, she-her.” She blushed a little, especially as LaF seemed to brighten even further at Laura’s easy introduction. “Can I, well, help you though? I mean, I didn’t miss a meeting, right? I was… um… studying. Just studying.” Behind her, the pictures and notes were still spread across her desk and computer screen. The pictures weren’t digital or high resolution, having only had a cheap, disposable camera on hand at the time, but it was still the  _ material _ that she was reluctant to let them see. Especially the floor don.

“We’re very sorry to disturb you, but one of the Summers Society officers dropped by my room to tell me that a stray cat keeps sneaking into the dorms, and is getting into your room. She seemed concerned that it might be feral or aggressive.” Lola Perry’s eyes were a little wide, but she had that expression and quality about her that made it seem as if they were  _ always _ open just a bit wider than seemed normal. Her curling hair was neatly clipped back out of her face, but hung loosely in neat ringlets otherwise. Laura thought that her shirt and pants were cute, but knew that some others would probably say she looked a bit anxious and nerdy… and the overall appearance of the girl was one that Laura could only assume was not relaxed enough to just ignore the fact that she did actually have a cat in her dorm. She’d probably notice her research materials too. “Do you know Danny Lawrence?”

“Yeah.” Laura held her smile in place through sheer force of will. She’d  _ told _ Danny that she wasn’t going to say anything about the cat. Who knew what Animal Control or the campus authorities would do to the poor thing if she reported it? And hadn’t Danny been the one that said something about animals being banned because of  _ sacrifices _ mentioned in the student handbook? How could the older girl have just gone behind her back to report it? “Um, she’s my TA. I mean, the TA in my Creative Literature & Fiction class. I mean… she was helping me organize for my course project in it, and was over here for that. She didn’t stay. There’s no cat.”

“Would you mind us looking around though? We have to at least say that we checked.” LaFontaine added with that same friendly smile, stepping around Laura into the room with a casual move that she was reluctant to reach out and stop. Laura uncomfortably shuffled just barely out of the way, with Perry looking just as cautious to not invade Laura’s personal space too closely as she squeezed into the room. Perry completely missed the unexpected sight that LaF was privy to.

While Laura awkwardly stared Perry guiltily in the eye, drawing out her entrance just a little as she frantically tried to come up with an explanation for the presence of the cat and the strange pictures, LaFontaine watched the cat curl in on itself where it was laying in the patch of warm sunlight and dissolve into a small plume of black smoke. Even as they turned to look at Perry and Laura incredulously, hoping to have corroboration for the unbelievable sight, Perry was just turning to look around the room, so obviously clueless as to anything happening out of her line of vision. Mouth dropped slack in shock, LaF turned to look around again, not fully convinced that they had seen it. Where little flecks dotted the freshman’s bed - probably shed hairs from the disappearing cat - they saw the flecks shift, disintegrating away into nothing before Perry could even realize they were there.

Laura was looking around a little frantically from behind Perry, obviously trying to spot wherever the cat had gone, and when it did not seem to be anywhere in the room, deflated in confused relief. LaFontaine watched her watch Perry check behind furniture and under beds, then tap at circulation vent covers to assure they weren’t loose enough for an animal to squeeze through. No sign of a cat. Perry didn’t even seem to blink twice at the materials that Laura had out on her desk and computer, though after a few moments of the floor don looking around, LaF turned to the pictures as they tried to process what was happening.

“Wow Frosh, interesting study materials. Taking Ancient Practices of Hecate this term?” Their offhand comment was met with a nervous squeak, and Laura quickly moved to begin shuffling her papers and pictures together.

“No! I didn’t even know that’s a class, though I bet it would probably provide a bit of insight into what I found. I’m not usually into this kind of thing. Not that I am now! I mean, I’m trying to find out about it, yeah, but not to do it myself. I don’t do these kinds of things. I mean I think there was blood in this one? It was super creepy. I found it at the Lustig when I was doing research? Other research. Different from this. Does it look like something from one of those classes? What professor teaches that?” Laura’s ramble went on for a moment or two, letting Perry stop to look at her in concern. She’d halted halfway through shuffling all of the papers together, and ended up gesturing with some of them before holding up one of the pictures as demonstration to LaF.

LaFontaine chuckled a little, and stepped forward to look at the picture more carefully. “Wow, you actually found a live ritual site on campus? I was pretty sure those were banned in the student handbook, except on the third day of…” LaF stopped in consideration, squinting, then turning to look at Perry. “Is it the third day of the Scorpion’s cycle, or the third day of the last month of the Rat?”

“The third day of the last month of the Goat.” Perry said, smiling at them a little fondly, then frowning in even more concern. “And we’re in the year of the Horse. You found a ritual site? You should have reported that. Unsanctioned rituals are grounds for expulsion… and being an accessory could mean facing the tribunal with them.”

“Perr, I doubt Frosh even knows how to set up a ritual site.” LaF chuckled lightly, then handed the picture back. “You can make sure it’s been reported though, right? Frosh, is it still there?”

“Um, no… it looked like it had been cleaned up when I went back to investigate some more.” Laura blushed a little, eyes wide as she looked between them.

“Probably campus security.” LaFontaine nodded, and Perry seemed to breathe out slowly in relief. “So, you’re trying to figure it out? I think my roommate from last year was in A.P.H. and would know who taught it. I just remember her mostly complaining about the amount of reading that was in the class. I can drop by later with the name if you want.”

“Sure! That would be super helpful. I mean, I’ve tried to find the symbols used online, to get an idea of what it was for, so I can track down who did it… but it turns out that there’s a  _ lot _ of different ritual symbols, and a lot of them are from a whole host of fictions and fandoms instead of, like, old practices and religions and things… but I thought that if I could uncover information about this, and who might be doing it on campus, it could be a big break for my journalism class… and, you know, good information for reporting it to the campus too.” Laura seemed to have added the last bit as an afterthought, eyes anxious as she turned her attention from LaF to Perry. “You don’t think they used real blood though, right? I mean, that has to be illegal. The campus would have called in the local police, right?”

“Yeah… of course.” LaF certainly didn’t sound sure, more skeptical, but Perry nodded with forced certainty.

“Of course they would. It’s not like the Dean and the board would just  _ ignore _ some crazy person setting up silly little ritual sites on campus and using blood or hurting people.” Perry huffed, then bounced toward the door, bright smile flashing as she reached to open the door behind her back and nodded to Laura and the room. “I can’t find any sign that a cat is here, or really that any animal has been in here. If whatever Ms. Lawrence thought she saw comes back, please let me know. You can either file an official report with me, or show me where it is and I’ll file the report for you. LaFontaine, we should leave her to her studying.”

“Right, sorry.” LaF looked around again, reminded of the disappearing cat, and frowned. “Um… I’ll come back later with the name of that professor, Frosh.”

“Thanks.” Laura smiled in relief, and sat awkwardly on her bed as the two of them exited the room. Not even five minutes later, the pair safely gone, the little black cat leaped down from the top of the wardrobe, first to the window ledge and then to the floor. With a lazy stride, as if it hadn’t narrowly missed getting caught, it strolled over and hopped up onto Laura’s bed, making itself comfortable on her pillow. “Kitty!” Her voice came out in a hiss, still afraid that Perry and LaFontaine would pop back in unexpectedly. “You were up there the whole time? You were so close to getting caught in here! And stop shedding on my pillow! I don’t know how she didn’t see your hair everywhere.” Laura huffed, and the cat only grumbled sleepily as it settled in to resume its nap. Laura sighed and drifted her fingers along the cat’s neck, scratching lightly in thought. “I’m getting nowhere with this ritual site research. I wonder if there are any others that have popped up on campus, that anyone has found…”

* * *

**T** he cry of crows was almost deafening when they were all disturbed by something, though the majority of the campus population seemed unbothered by their volume or presence. Laura hadn’t ever really taken much notice of the things before, and wondered if the crows had always been part of the Silas ambiance, or if they were a new addition. With the strange, frequently overcast sky, and the black birds perched atop most of the campus buildings, it gave the entire area an odd, Gothic ambiance.

LaFontaine had come back with the contact for the professor as promised, and even spent a solid three hours looking at her research and pictures with her, discussing possibilities and what she’d seen. They had agreed that whoever set the thing up was either staging the most elaborate prank ever, or actually thought the ritual would accomplish something. How they’d gotten into the blocked off section of the Lustig Laura still didn’t know, as she’d had to zoom her cheap little camera to max to even get solid shots of what was there, unable to reach it from behind the barriers and fence. Either way, they had worked out the approximation of what the largest symbol was, as well as the fact that the things sticking up from the cracked concrete in the center were probably goat horns. LaF had joked that it was probably ironic, considering the handbook’s rules.

“Hello, Miss Hollis.” Laura looked up, trying to offer her best, most professional smile. Professor Einfeder was not exactly what Laura had expected. Though the woman was older, perhaps in her fifties or sixties, her hair was only shot with the rare streak of silver, and held back in a smooth, neat clasp at the nape of her neck. She wore loose clothing, what looked like hand-woven linens, in a casual style instead of the professional dress that many of Laura’s professors preferred. As severe and serious as her expression might be, her look was closer to that of an old yoga instructor, instead of a university teacher.

“Professor… Einfeder?” Laura asked, pulling the strap of her bag a bit higher up her shoulder. “Thank you so much for meeting with me. I really appreciate you taking time out of your office hours to look over these things.”

“Of course.” The woman still didn’t smile, but her eyes didn’t seem so severe, and Laura accepted the seat that she gestured to. “You said in your email that you’d found something unusual on campus that someone… thought had to do with extra credit for my courses?”

“Kind of. You see, I was doing some investigative research at the Lustig regarding its current condition and what signs may still be present regarding the fires set in 1904. When I went to get a look at the fenced storage area in the back,” she paused, shuffling through her bag and taking out the folder of compiled information that she’d prepared. Laura offered it to the professor. “I saw what looked like some kind of weird ritual site that had been set up in the broken out room at the back. I couldn’t get very close, but I took some pictures with a camera I had on me. I thought it was weird… the building is closed for construction, so no one should be able to get in through the front either… and wanted to look into if, maybe, something was going to happen again. One of my… friends?... saw the pictures and thought I was doing extra credit for your class. The Ancient Practices one…. And I was hoping you could help me identify the symbols used? Maybe that would tell me about whoever was doing it, or what they were trying. Motive always helps identify the person, and tells more of the story behind it.”

The woman was quietly shuffling through the papers and pictures Laura had given her, taking in the rambling story without comment. Laura had, at least, made sure to keep copies for herself, in case the professor insisted on keeping these. After several long moments, Laura shifting uncomfortably as she watched on, Professor Einfeder looked up and set the papers to the side. “The picture quality is low, but the attempt at recreating the symbol for research was done well.” Laura brightened at the unexpected praise, hopeful. “Unfortunately, though it does seem vaguely familiar, this isn’t a symbol or set up I recognise. It may be a ritual site, of course, but not one of Hecate. Firstly, a worshipper of Hecate would not choose synthetic settings like concrete or buildings with their practices, as it would profane the rites. As well, though blood is often used for such rituals, one done for the Goddess would be wider spread, and use an altar that had been arranged by the caster.”

Laura’s eyes went wide, and she quickly moved to record the information in a small notepad. “So, it is a ritual site, you think, instead of a prank?” Her heart had sped up. That meant this really was a likely mystery on campus… and a much better research project for her journalism class than the history of a creepy theater building.

“I’m quite positive that it’s not a prank.” Professor Einfeder offered, turning to the page Laura had sketched the symbol on and comparing it to one of the blown up, grainy photos. Discreetly, while Laura was focused on her notepad, the woman sprinkled a small pinch of white granules over the lines from a tiny, decorative urn at the side of her desk. Where the symbol had begun to brown the page, hints of a burn without embers to catch fire, it faded to inert, cold paper. “As I’ve said, it looks familiar, but it is not for the Goddess… at least if this symbol was puzzled out correctly. I would assume that whoever decided to put this… thing that you found… together is quite dangerous. I’ll speak with the Dean about what you found, though you should report it as well. When did you locate this?”

“It’s already been cleaned up.” Laura sighed, scratching a frustrated mark at the corner of the notepad page. “I found it about two weeks ago. When I went back the next day to see if I could get closer or better pictures, everything was cleaned up and just the crack in the concrete was left behind. My floor don thinks that it was probably campus security that found it and cleaned it up.” She twisted her mouth from one side to the next, wiggling in place with her thoughts. “Do you think those are goat horns in the pictures? Or just sticks? They were gone the next day too.”

“Two weeks ago would be after moon-dark had passed.” The monotone answer was not what Laura had expected in response to her question, and she made note of it, but tilted her head curiously. The woman was frowning at her again, and had slid the papers and pictures back together into the folder. Laura had been right to worry about not getting it back, as it definitely looked as if the professor would be keeping it from the way she was sliding it to the side, away from Laura. “The rituals that are studied in my classes would have been performed on the night of, or the day before, the new moon, or  _ moon dark _ . If someone is breaking into restricted areas to perform rituals against the school’s bylaws, and leaving their ritual space behind in this condition…. This is probably a very dangerous person, Miss Hollis. I would suggest that you leave the investigation and apprehension of this person to the campus police and local authorities. Thank you for these copies, however, as I am sure the Dean will appreciate the additional information.”

“If there’s someone dangerous wandering around campus drawing weird voodoo stuff, shouldn’t the students be warned? I mean,” Laura began, but the woman only held up a forestalling hand.

“An announcement would probably alert the person that they have slipped up… this is a hidden location after all… but again, that is best left to the actual authorities.” The woman stood, hand still resting atop the folder so that there was no chance to pull it back. “Thank you for your questions, Miss Hollis. Please leave this to the campus police.”

“Yeah… um… thanks for the information.” Laura grumbled, glaring at the woman a little as she stood as well. The woman certainly spoke like a grumpy professor instead of a hippie yoga instructor, no matter what she looked like. Maybe she could interview one of the woman’s old students about what kind of practices and research goes into rituals like this one… that would tell her where else to look and what kind of activity to watch for.

“Of course Miss Hollis. Please be careful… and please let the campus police know if you find any others.” Professor Einfeder nodded, and Laura grumpily left her office. At least she still had the original copies of the research and pictures back at her dorm… little information though she may have found so far. Laura scowled up at the crows lining the roof ledge as she exited the building. This was definitely something worth researching more, if the professor was so sure it wasn’t just a prank after all.

She didn’t notice the black cat that had followed behind her, nor the cautious attention of the professor watching as it trailed in Laura’s wake silently, but as she turned to go seek out LaFontaine for the name of the ex-roommate who’d taken this course, the cat disappeared into the shadow of the building she walked beside.


	3. Chapter 3

**C** armilla leaned casually in place, eyes hooded as she listened quietly to the philosophy lecture that she’d chosen to crash. Her senses were still spread, wide and thin, but for the moment she could enjoy the droning voice of the professor that was attempting to drill theory and quotes into the dense minds of his students. His voice might not adequately express the passion she could sense lingered beneath the surface of his words, but nevertheless she felt more drawn to his lectures than others. There was an abundance of lecturers and professors at Silas university with passion and affection for their chosen fields, she’d noticed. Carmilla had wondered, as she explored the grounds, if all universities were like that, or if it was one of the unusual aspects of the school.

Like the number of those professors able to sense that something was different about her.

“... I will expect the class to _participate_ in discussion regarding Nietzche’s Beyond Good and Evil starting next week. If you have not yet read it, as shown _in your syllabus,_ I would suggest doing so.”

While the man’s voice drifted during lecture as a buzzing monotone, the reminder to round out the end of the class was given with an emphasis. She tilted her eyebrow high, smirking just a bit, at how the man had seemed to glare pointedly at a few of the neanderthals that seemed to be elbowing each other jovially off to the left of the class. As they all passed from the room into the hallway, with Carmilla melting into the milling students easily and casually, she slipped the book from the back pocket of one of them. She was unlikely to still be lingering in the class by the time they were in group discussion over the book, but it seemed an interesting, if ironic, bit of reading to pass her time with.

The book was small enough, on its own, though it was warm and solid in her hand as she slid out into the campus yard behind the chatty Silas students. It didn’t seem a particularly long read, likely no more than a novella by modern standards, but even just thumbing the pages idly as she walked, she felt the weight of the theory and philosophy in her hand. The words and concepts within called to her, sparking her curiosity, but they would wait for the moment at least. She could smell the rising tide of anticipation and fear in the wind. Carmilla doubted any disturbance occurring that day precisely, but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t some sort of anticipatory build-up happening.

A spike in excitement and anxiety called to her, too familiar in their flavor, and she let out a sigh. Maman would have wished her to prowl the campus as a silent guard and watcher, but that would have to wait. Thumb brushing over the edges of the pages in her new book, Carmilla turned her languid gait toward the looming shape of Perrodon Residence Hall.

* * *

**L** aura growled to herself, literally growled, as she looked up and saw the passing figure of what she had privately determined was the embodiment of her own frustrations. The other girl’s dark hair had been left down that day, brushing over her shoulders in a vivid compliment and contrast to the white-and-black lace top that was undoubtedly designed to draw the eye. Her growling irritation swiftly moved to a blush and Laura tore her eyes away from lingering on the slightly swaying swagger, and turned to pay for her hot cocoa and cookie. At least she hadn’t had her drink stolen this time.

She found her eyes flickering in that direction more than once as she settled at one of the picnic tables. "Frosh!" Laura nearly slid off of the bench at LaFontaine's loud greeting, scrambling to make sure that she didn't send any of her research flying. “A little jumpy there?”

“I was just thinking! I mean, I’m not jumpy, but you startled me. Because I was thinking.” Laura shifted in place, then pulled the books and papers from her bag to spread on the picnic table. “About the mystery, I mean. I was _definitely_ thinking about this whole, mystery-situation-thing. Thanks for meeting me? I mean, you were a lot of help when we were going over the pictures and what some of this stuff might mean before I went to go see that professor… which also thanks for that. She wasn’t super helpful, but I did get a little bit of information from it. Maybe we could try talking to your old roommate too. But I figured that you were probably a great person to throw ideas back and forth with because you _actually_ seem concerned. Not a lot of people seem concerned.”

“Well, we can call it scientific curiosity for now. We still don’t really know if whoever did it really _was_ trying to do some sort of magical ritual, or if it was some kind of frat prank.” LaFontaine shrugged, smiling lightly they considered the array of materials that Laura had managed to drag out for them to look at. “I mean, without samples or a really close study of the site, before it was cleaned up, you don’t actually know what they used, and you don’t know who did it or why yet.” LaF paused, obviously attempting to ignore the disappointed pout on Laura’s face. “If there haven’t been any other of these things found, then maybe it was some sort of hoax. We need more information.”

“Well, after talking to Professor Einfeder, I thought that the calendar might play an important role in when whoever is doing this is… well… doing this.” Laura opened an almanac that she’d had stuffed in with the rest of her books. “When I was in there, she mentioned that the rituals from the studies in _her_ class would have happened on the New Moon or the night before. I found it on the 30th, which according to this year’s almanac, was six days _after_ the new moon. Almost an entire week. So either it was a week old, or the moon cycle didn’t matter… which according to most of the research that I’ve found online, the moon cycle is usually pretty important.”

“Which is another point in the Just a Prank column.” LaF nodded, looking through the almanac that Laura had held out to them. Important phases of the moon and events were tagged with little sticky notes, with big, highlighted circles around the fact that also near the date she’d found the site was apparently the Autumn Equinox. “I didn’t know the campus store sold a farmer’s almanac.”

“Neither did I!” Laura chuckled lightly, then stood to climb up onto the surface of the table, sitting closer and spreading out more of the notes, a foot or her half-empty cocoa cup helping to hold this or that page down. “They also stock a lot of weird stuff. I know that people like salty foods - I prefer sweet myself - but they had five entire shelves of just different kinds of salt! And when the clerk saw me looking at that, and that I was buying an almanac, he asked if I was interested in their last jar of holly ash.” Laura shook her head. “But look, a _lot_ of different almanac-y stuff happened at the end of September, and even if I found the site afterward, we don’t know how old it was. It could have been performed any day before that. I didn’t smell anything burning when I was there, and you said that this stuff here looked like charcoal from an old fire.”

“True.” LaF nodded, cracking open one of the books. “When I came over with the Prof’s name, you’d said you weren’t sure where to start with the books. How did you pick these? Oh wow, _where_ did you get them?”

“The Library. I know it’s weird, and supposed to be kind of dangerous, but my roommate is always over there studying or working with project groups, so it can’t be that bad. I asked the undergrad there for any of the books that the students that take Professor Einfeder’s class use, as well as any general references on cults and ritual practices he could think of.” She wrinkled her nose a little and sat back, book in her lap, and stared up at the sky. It was a thankfully clear day, most of the overcast clouds having moved out over the week since her talk with the professor. While they would have no risk of the weather damaging her research in her dorm, being able to sit in the sun and enjoy the oddly warm autumn made the pictures and materials seem a little less dark and daunting. “He actually laughed at me when I asked that, and said he’d just give me one of the intro books… did you know Silas has an entire _floor_ of the library dedicated to the study of the occult?!”

“Uh, yeah, Frosh. It’s one of the things they always brag-up during campus tours.” LaFontaine rolled their eyes, flipping through the book they had picked up. “And I always just figured that the Library was considered dangerous because people say it’s haunted.”

Laura snorted, returning to her book. “Ghosts aren’t real.” LaF snorted back, skeptically, at her, and they settled in for a bit of reading.

More than a bit of reading.

Though they had both skimmed pages after determining what each section they encountered was about, it was slow going. Laura, while she had a few vague ideas, didn’t know exactly what they were looking for. Details were sparse, and though her instincts told her that there was a story here, something important, that didn’t tell her what to research. After scanning through three books, comparing some things in the almanac, puzzling through her notes and attempts at the symbols that might have been used, and the pictures… Laura still didn’t know what had actually happened, or who could have done it. “I think I need more caffeine.”

LaF looked up at her, and nodded, still absorbed in one of the books that Laura had already abandoned. “I thought you were drinking hot cocoa.” The statement was absentminded, LaF smirking a little as they turned the page. “I’m afraid of your energy levels and talking speed with actual coffee.”

“Hey, sugar is brain food… and I’m not that bad. I can totally drink coffee!” Laura huffed, scrambling off of the table’s surface and stretching a little. She probably should have used the actual benches instead, her back was going to be killing her by morning. “Do you want anything?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

As Laura stood and walked toward the cafe cart that was one of the biggest motivators for students to study out in the quad, LaF ran a tired hand through their hair. As fascinating as some of these texts were, they hadn’t actually gotten any further than Laura had in their reading. If that weird site that Laura had found was real, who knew what type of ritual it had been? They, at least, were well aware that it could have been one of thousands of religions or off-shoots. They needed more data.

Stretching a little before moving to compare some of the images in the book to Laura’s photos, instead of what they’d tried to recreate, they glanced up at where Laura was waiting in line for what they sincerely hoped was not coffee. The cute little freshman was not in need of that much energy, at least if either of them planned to sleep that night. Their eyes widened and they stood clumsily to attempt to shout out a warning, hand raised and book dropped, as a couple of nearby frat boys went tumbling toward the line, jostling each other for a ball of some kind. Before they could say anything, the collision happened, two distracted students getting plowed into, and all four ramming directly into where Laura hadn’t even noticed them coming.

LaFontaine’s jaw nearly dropped off of their face in shock. Laura was by no means a big or burly person. Sure she’d joked about being able to take care of herself, but there was no hiding the fact that Laura was kinda tiny. Four other students, especially two of which were frat-bro mesomorphs, should have completely flattened her. Nevertheless, the entire pile of disaster that had tumbled her way ricocheted off of her as if it had collided with a wall, and the pile of people ended up sprawled a little behind and to the side of her. Laura only glanced back as if tapped, then looked abruptly startled and bent to help everyone sort themselves out. LaF was left half-standing, mouth hanging open, and staring around to see if _anyone_ had spotted yet another _weird_ thing that had happened around their new kind-of-friend.

Not far away, another student, dark haired and pretty in a bit of a depressing way, was watching with the faintest smirk. She flicked her fingers in the direction of the tumbled students, and as one was about to knock into Laura as he stood, he tripped and fell again, _away_ from Laura.

LaF was caught somewhere between shock and burning curiosity by the time Laura had returned to their table, drink and another cookie in hand. Experimentally, they poked at Laura’s arm, and found a distinct lack of invisible force-field. They made a mental note to figure out firstly, how that had happened, and secondly, recreate a personal barrier force field because it was extraordinarily cool. “Uh… does that happen a lot, Frosh?”

“Does what?” Laura leaned her arm away from where LaF had poked it, then sipped at her cup and wrinkled her nose a little bit at the taste. Laura set it to the side. “Oh, sorry it took so long. Some guys from that Zeta house crashed into part of the line while I was over there, and I had to make sure everyone was okay. They’re kinda clumsy I guess.”

“Yeah… I guess. They just _bounced_ off of you.” LaF gestured in that direction, considering the girl in front of them. “You’re _tiny_.”

“I’m not that short!” Laura huffed, folding her arms. “And I’ll have you know that my father has had me in Krav Maga since I was eight years old. I can totally take care of myself.”

LaF quirked their eyebrows, and might have said something, if they hadn’t noticed the dark-haired girl prowling up behind Laura. Silently, they watched as she slid around the huffy blonde, and continued walking by at a casual saunter. As she passed, she picked up the coffee cup and cookie in a smooth move, lifting the drink and calling over her shoulder, “Thanks cutie. Just what I needed.”

“What! Hey!” Laura stumbled off of the bench and launched after the girl, who slipped between a passing group of people and seemed to disappear. “Wait! Carmilla that was mine!” Laura returned, even huffier than when LaF had pointed out her height, practically seething.

LaFontaine looked around, surprised once again by the sheer volume of _odd_ that seemed to settle around this girl. “Uh… did you know her Frosh?”

“No! I mean, a little? She keeps _doing_ that and I have no idea why and I can never catch her afterward because she just disappears into a crowd or around a corner and ugh! She’s so frustrating!” Laura growled and looked around aggressively again, daring the other girl to appear in her line of sight. “I mean, one time! Spilling something _once_ is not an excuse to steal another girl’s snacks for, like, forever after that. Totally rude.”

“She just… steals your snacks?” LaF smiled a little, bemused. “Seriously? Then how do you know her name?”

“Okay, so like, maybe two months ago? A few weeks after the term started, at least. I was making some food in the dorm commons’ kitchen. I wanted to use the toaster. Anyway, she totally snuck up behind me and I turned around and it startled me and I might have _accidentally_ shrieked a bit and thrown my bottle of chocolate syrup on her… and while I was apologizing she told me her name and not to worry about it… and okay, so I gave her my plate of waffles that _one time_ as an apology, but that is _not_ an excuse to just appear out of nowhere and take my food all the time!” Laura huffed, and was breathing heavily as she glared around once more, blush on her cheeks from admitting to the minor accident. “She has just been showing up randomly ever since and taking my food or drink, sometimes directly out of my hand. How _rude_ is that?”

“So _that_ happens all the time.” LaFontaine clarified, then glanced curiously in the direction of the cafe cart that was already packing up for the evening. “I, uh, bet you’re pretty lucky otherwise though?”

“I guess. No more than a normal person probably. I can’t figure out this stupid ritual site thing after all.” Laura huffed and dropped her head to gently lay against the books and pages. “Which is super frustrating.”

“I’ll bet.” LaF chuckled a little, and reached over to pat Laura’s head awkwardly. “Why don’t we call it quits for today? I’ll see if I can get in touch with my old roommate again. Maybe you can find out who would have had access to the Lustig when you found it.”

“Right.” Laura sighed, then lifted herself up and nodded with determination. LaFontaine was right- they had to come at this from a different angle, and the sun was starting to set anyway. They should both head inside… maybe that cat would have sneaked in again, and Laura could seek comfort by petting its soft fur. “Right. Okay. Yeah. Let’s call it a day.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning- mentions of ritual sacrifice and blood. Mentions of the preferred sacrifice of hecate. No dogs were harmed in the writing of this fic. I love dogs, and puppies.

**L** aura panicked just a little as LaFontaine led a dark-haired girl into her dorm, and tried to position herself so that the cat was hidden behind her. She gestured a little frantically with a hand behind her at the feline, trying to shoo it out and around the door while the other two were distracted. That, quite obviously, didn’t work, and LaF only quirked an eyebrow up at her as she tried to wriggle between them. “I… it’s not what it looks like! She keeps sneaking in. I…” she fidgeted and glared over her shoulder at the cat, then looked down at her hands instead of at LaFontaine, “I just didn’t want her to get hurt or put down if Perry called animal control. She’s really sweet, except when she scratched Danny, and she doesn’t actually bother us much… I mean she does kinda shed everywhere and will  _ not _ stop sneaking in here… but really she’s not that bad…”

“Woah, take a breath Frosh.” LaFontaine shook their head, then gestured at the other girl that had joined them. “This is Natalie. As for the cat… I don’t think she has to worry about anyone that Perr would call, but your secret is safe with me. It scratched the Amazon?”

“Yes. Which was very naughty.” Laura glared over her shoulder at the cat again, which only flicked an ear in response and repositioned more comfortably in the sunlight. “But, thanks? And you, thank you so much for coming over to talk with me! I’m Laura Hollis, pronouns are she-her. It’s great to meet you.”

“Hi, thanks.” The girl nodded, shaking the hand that Laura had offered and looking around almost timidly for somewhere to sit. Laura was quick to offer her desk chair, and nodded at her bed for LaF to take while she sat on Betty’s bed. “I’m Natalie, pronouns are she-her too, I guess. LaF, um… LaFontaine said that you’d talked with Professor Einfeder and she didn’t give you much information? She can be a bit grumpy sometimes.”

“I guess grumpy is one way to put it.” Laura laughed a little anxiously, pulling out a notepad for while they were talking, and keeping the almanac she’d purchased nearby. “She did say that the practices she teaches about would have rituals, and be on the nights around  _ moondark _ ?”

“The new moon, yeah.” Natalie nodded, hands folded primly in her lap as she glanced around, eyeing the cat curiously but not asking after Laura had panicked about it as they came in. “It’s been a while since I was in the class, but I remember some of the more important notes. Hellenic and Greek rituals are done on their own calendar, timed around the moon cycles, but Professor Einfeder teaches primarily about Hecate. A lot of history about her origins and if she was brought over from a different belief system into the Hellenics and Greeks, then her becoming revered by… um… Zeus. Things like that.”

Laura nodded, scribbling out a few notes on her pad. “So, if rituals happened on a different schedule, how would we know that one wasn’t just on one of those weird dates?” She looked up, watching LaF flipping through the text that she’d borrowed from the Library that would have been assigned to the class Natalie took.

“Well, rituals follow a pattern. If you believe in them, you have to do them correctly, do the right things in the right order.” Natalie shifted almost uncomfortably, and Laura tried to smile in assurance. Why would the girl be getting nervous? “If any ritual you might have found was performed for Hecate… it would have been on Nouminia, the new moon, at midnight. Depending on where it was performed, there would either be a special plate for food offerings, or if it was meat or… um… a  _ sacrifice _ … there would be an altar. Those rituals were kind of… well… gross.”

“Gross?” Laura reached into her folder, shuffling so that she could get to it around Natalie at her desk. The pictures shouldn’t disturb her too much… probably? They were grainy enough to not be too disturbing. “Gross how? Lots of, well, blood or something? Like a cult?”

“Well, there were some cults dedicated to the worship of Hecate, and they performed sacrifices to her…” Natalie’s nose wrinkled in distaste and she edged away from where Laura was holding the picture just angled away from where it could be seen. “But, no… more like, they sacrificed puppies to her. Dog meat was used if any meat, and if it was a sacrifice at an altar, they preferred to use puppies. That’s, um, gross enough to remember even now. I mean, who sacrifices  _ puppies _ !”

Laura flinched back, face scrunching up in disgust as well, and saw the mirrored look on LaFontaine’s face. Very gross, and wrong. Puppies were adorable! Soft and silly and cute. Who would want to kill puppies? Evil people, that’s who. She really hoped that if it  _ was _ blood at the site she’d found, it hadn’t been from cute, innocent little puppy-dogs. “Ew.” Natalie nodded, pouting a little. “Um, yeah, that’s really gross. And wrong. Puppies are adorable. So wrong.” Natalie nodded again, agreeing readily with Laura. “I, um, don’t think this used any puppies? Professor Einfeder looked at them and said they weren’t for Hecate.” Reluctantly, she held out the picture, and equally reluctantly, Natalie took it.

“We… think those might be goat horns.” LaFontaine offered, finally adding in information as well. They pointed at the objects that, in the picture, stuck up from the cracked concrete. “The lighting and picture quality isn’t great, but when Laura found it, she thought that’s what they looked like. We couldn’t see anything in these that looks like an altar either.”

“If this was supposed to be to Hecate, they definitely did everything wrong.” Natalie’s nose was still wrinkled in a disgusted sneer, and Laura and LaF exchanged curious glances. “Ritual sites to Hecate would generally not be inside of buildings… and if they are, it would be an idol or offering dish at a doorway… or that’s what I remember from the class? Outside, if it was anywhere paved, it would be where the roads or sidewalks met. At that, even where it’s not paved like this, it would be a transitioning space. Hecate guarded entrances and crossroads.” She squinted at the picture a bit more closely and then pushed it away, looking a little green. “If that’s a real site, Professor Einfeder would be right, that’s not to Her.”

“Oh… Okay.” Laura took the picture back, and then quickly tucked it out of sight. Pulling some of the pages where they’d tried to parse out the symbols, she held those up. “I didn’t really doubt her, but I don’t know anything about rituals to be able to see where it differs. You said everything follows a pattern or formula?”

“Yeah. Like a recipe.” Natalie looked over the symbols carefully. “People who performed these things believe that the right order built up the power from a little to whatever they were trying to accomplish, and if it wasn’t done right the Gods wouldn’t take notice. Like if you tried to light a gas stove with a match, but forgot to turn it on. For Hecate they would have carefully prepared whatever offering it would be, and the cults wore special garments, then an altar or offering dish was set up at the site, and then the offering and prayers were given at midnight. They didn’t use a lot of symbols, though there might have been pictures or glyphs to represent Her or what they were trying to accomplish on the altar itself.” She paused and took the paper Laura had been holding in hand. “Did you burn the symbol into this? That’s… that’s kind of creepy.”

“What?” Laura took the page back quickly, and as she inspected the paper, Natalie stood.

“Listen… talking about this stuff is making me uncomfortable, and it kind of sounds like you’re trying to recreate whatever happened in those pictures for yourself. So… just… leave puppies out of it please?” Natalie squinted a little as she stared at Laura, then LaF. Then, before either of them could answer past the offense at being accused of trying to do this themselves, Natalie hurried out of the room.

“Sorry… she, ah, was always a little squeamish.” LaFontaine offered, frowning at the open door and then at the pages in Laura’s hands. Where it had continued to lay comfortably curled, the cat lifted a head and sent them a judging look. “What did she mean about the page?”

“Where we sketched the symbol looks a little burned.” Laura offered, distracted by that minor detail, instead of the accusation that had been given. It took her another full minute to realize what Natalie had implied. “Hey! I would never hurt puppies! Or do this! We’re just doing research! And, and, whoever is doing this, if they’re doing this, might be dangerous. Someone has to figure it out for the safety of the campus! And I’d never hurt  _ puppies _ !”

LaFontaine shook their head as they took the page from Laura, letting her ramble a bit about how much she loved puppies and that she’d never make one of these weird ritual sites and definitely not with puppies in the mix. Unceremoniously, the cat prowled forward from its previous sunning spot, leaped to Laura’s bed, and sniffed daintily at the page in LaF’s hands. They watched, bemused and a little concerned with the prior mention of it scratching Danny, as it sneezed in reaction to  _ whatever _ the paper smelled like, then proceeded to make itself comfortable on top of Laura’s pillow. “Yeah, it’s weird, isn’t it… um… Kitty-cat thing.” The answering growl was sleepy, but it didn’t look up at them beyond that. “Right.”

“On my pillow again?!” Laura huffed, and LaFontaine laughed lightly as she poked irritably at the cat before moving to grab a pack of cookies for snacking as they went over the notes and books again. “I should invest in a lifetime supply of lint rollers. Also, I’m not investigating this whole weird ritual thing because I want to imitate it, or as if I was… I don’t know… the person that had done it and wanted to see why it went wrong. I don’t actually believe in this stuff… but I’m  _ sure _ , absolutely  _ sure _ , that whoever left that stuff behind did. Which means that if I’m going to figure out who did it, then I have to figure out who had access, or could  _ get _ access, to the Lustig and what they thought they were accomplishing with it.” Laura waved the cookie pack in the air as emphasis, moving to sit heavily at her desk. “Because motive is important in reporting. Whoever did it is also kinda a creep and probably a little dangerous. They’re  _ breaking into _ restricted areas… or accessing them at least, and going through some kind of elaborate pattern of some kind and while I couldn’t get close enough, I still think that the crusty red-brown stuff splashed everywhere was  _ blood _ .”

The frustrated huff that Laura offered was a prime example of how gross and weird she thought that was. LaFontaine was watching her curiously, but didn’t seem put off by it. “Well, you don’t really strike me as the kind to go out and throw blood everywhere, so I hadn’t figured you as the perp.” They did give her a strange look, though, and glanced at the cat once more before considering the page in their hands. “You don’t believe it at all? Really? I’m a scientist - everything  _ has _ to have an explanation of some kind, whether or not it’s been figured out yet - but some weird shit happens at this campus Frosh.”

“Like the giant flocks of crows that decided to roost on all of our buildings?” Laura wrinkled her nose, then took an aggressive bite of one of the chocolate chip cookies from her pack. “Weird, but I wouldn’t say magical ritual weird. I don’t know, LaF. I want to keep my mind open, but that just seems so out there. There has to be, you know, a mundane explanation.”

“Like some nutty murder-hobo that chooses to escalate their behavior through intricate research and ritual work?” LaFontaine asked, then set the page down with the rest of their research, pulling one of the books again - not that it would provide any information that they hadn’t gone over more than once already. The page where they’d sketched out the symbol had indeed looked as if the ink had burned the paper slightly, turning it just a little brown. Having been there as they scribbled it out with a pencil, LaF was pretty positive that it was not because Laura had mysteriously chosen to trace it with a wood-burner or something. Giving the cat a final look, they turned back to Laura and idly flicked a pen cap at her, watching as it bounced off of her arm. The startled, incredulous look they received was hilarious, and they smiled as they suggested another search through of other practices that might follow a similar schedule. The Hellenics and Greeks weren’t the only ones to follow a lunar calendar after all.

* * *

**T** he cat watched, tail flicking in irritation, as Laura and ginger-two counted off their variety of mostly useless supplies for their nighttime excursion. The pair had not made headway in their research, which, somehow, meant that they instead needed to explore the campus. At night… on the night that they suspected the next ritual to be performed.

“Flashlights?” Laura asked, already checking them off her list.

“With fresh batteries.” LaFontaine assured, handing her one and then returning the other to their bag.

“Bear spray?” Laura asked it, but she was the one to hold up the gallon-sized ziplock filled with canisters of what was probably homemade sprays.

“Check…” LaF responded, and the cat’s tail twitched again as it considered the bag that they were staring at incredulously. Finally something that might actually do  _ something _ to protect them properly. “Side note… are we planning on invading a bear sanctuary tonight?”

“My dad is a little… overprotective.” Laura hedged, then assured that both of them had at least three in their bags. “And they could be useful! I mean, if someone is doing these ritual things seriously, and really  _ believes _ that they’ll accomplish something…” she paused again, and fidgeted in place, before shoving a fourth canister into her own bag, “well, if they are killing things or throwing blood around, they might be dangerous. Professor Einfeder was pretty certain they would be, and I only talked to her for a little bit. And I might be able to take care of myself - I know Krav Maga - but part of that is knowing how to keep an assailant at a distance… and if we catch this guy, or girl, or person… or  _ persons _ … doing this, then they might not like getting caught… and better safe than sorry!”

The cat, still watching in irritated judgement, let out a long  **_mrrrrrowww_ ** as if in agreement, and LaF twitched in response. Nodding at the cat instead of Laura, they then picked up the different containers and inspected how each functioned. “Have you ever had to use it before? They work like pepper spray, right?” They turned a couple of the cans and frowned at it.

“They’re long-distance stream. My dad changed the nozzles out.” She smiled brightly at them, and pointed at the tops. “There’ll be a bit of blow-back, so hold your breath if you have to use it.”

“Right.” LaF looked even more skeptical, and triple checked the caps before returning the cans to their bag. The cat huffed a low sound, and stretched before repositioning herself.

Twenty more minutes passed of the pair comparing items and considering a large printout of the campus map. Among their supplies were the pictures and notes from the previous site, several bottles of water, a number of snacks, smaller copies of the map of the school campus, the afore-mentioned flashlights and bear spray, a plethora of prepped sample containers courtesy of LaF, gloves to keep whatever samples they found for those containers uncontaminated, a small tape recorder courtesy of Laura, and disposable cameras - despite LaFontaine’s insistence that their phone camera would be better quality  _ and _ had a night setting.

They were still debating the best path through the campus as they stumbled out of the dorm room, speaking in hissed whispers as if they could already be observed. Laura was adamant that they start near the Lustig, as that was where she’d found the first site, but LaF was still insisting that the Summers patrolled that area a lot, and that they should try the woods instead. The cat, following silently in their shadows, unnoticed by either, huffed an irritated breath at either option, and simply followed. It would be an… interesting night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that this isn't exactly Carmilla related, and definitely not to this fic but:  
> EarpSpoon!  
> E4L!
> 
> I AM SO HYPED because of the season4 trailer and release date for Wynonna Earp! Be Hyped With Me! <3


	5. Chapter 5

**T** hree altars sat atop the flat roof, their foot ends touching and heads away from the center. They were hastily constructed of old beer crates and dented kegs, bound with long strips of cloth that had been cleansed and bled on over and over until their color resembled something closer to mottled brown than crisp white. Around them, the ritual circle had been more carefully constructed, Summoner’s Grind poured in an intricate, unbroken stream in a weaving jagged pattern to create the circle barrier itself. As the last of the bodies were laid peacefully across the three altars, the figure of the presiding practitioner gestured its acolytes out of the way. Words of power hummed out in a low, sibilant murmur as they bent to drop the last sprinkle of grind and close the circle around the bodies.

Around the figure, others chanted in hushed tones, attempting their own echo of the practitioner’s words, read carefully from cue cards in their hands. While this was a lesser ritual than those of sacrifice, the chant and enunciation could not falter. Though the group had not appreciated the insistence upon the cards, it proved a valuable asset… because the circle began to light with innate power. Slowly, so slowly, the Summoner’s Grind that had been so carefully drawn started to glow, and then spark like embers, before finally catching aflame. A low wall of vivid green flames sprouted from the patterned circle, knee high and  _ real _ . It was there,  _ proof _ that this was working. Proof that the stories weren’t simply the exaggeration and boasting of alumni.

The practitioner smiled in satisfaction, and speaking another word of power, stepped through the flames, toward the first of the sleeping boys that had been chosen as their donors. All three were simple minded enough, frat pledges that wouldn’t think much of the time missed while they were unconscious, or the headache and wooziness indicative of blood loss - so easily explained away as a  _ wicked hangover, bro _ . If the blood was drawn carefully enough, the idiots would likely think they’d simply had a wild night.

Despite the fact that these practices were ancient, riddled with the convoluted dance steps of complex ritual, modern practices weren’t forbidden. The practitioner had taken careful time to learn proper blood drawing from one of their coven mates that had taken the Silas survival courses. Less would be wasted, lost through the mess of old tradition there. But first, before the needles and tubing for their  _ donation _ could be produced, the symbol of connection must be drawn. It would bind these boys to their task, and make it easier to draw more in the future. Why else let them live?

A sleeve folded back, the practitioner drew their athame. This step, at least, required tradition - blood of the high practitioner drawn willingly with a moon-blessed athame. A simple line was cut, easy enough to cover on their arm, and the sting negligible. The practitioner drew a finger gently through their blood, marvelling at the smooth, slick feeling of it, then turned the head of the first donor, drawing a small symbol just below his hair-line. The same was done to the other two, before the main purpose of the night could finally be attended to: Blood drawn from those bound to the ritual, preserved in jars of glass and bone. A potent component for all of the rituals that would now follow.

Around them the night air was chilled, but the sky was clear, and their acolytes chanted on.

* * *

**A** fter ‘debating’ about where to start their investigation for the entirety of the dorm hall, down the stairs, and finally out into the quad, LaFontaine and Laura ended up with the decision to check around the Lustig first, then a variety of more hidden locations across the campus. They’d circle around to look for people wandering in and out of the woods nearby, then, if they still hadn’t found anything, end with a second check at the Lustig. As the only known used location, it warranted first check and last - in case they missed the perpetrators while on the rest of their walk - and under cover of darkness they could possibly attempt to find a way in to inspect the area that the previous site had been cleaned from. LaFontaine was fairly certain that, if it really had been cleaned up by campus security, and if there really  _ was _ going to be another ritual, the people doing it wouldn’t use the same spot twice.

“Frosh,” they whispered, still a little irritated that their argument hadn’t won out, “just think about the mentality of the people that would do this kind of thing! If it’s a, you know,  _ ritual _ , and they don’t already have a designated altar or whatever, then they probably have some sort of formula or guide for where to perform whatever it is. The Lustig is just  _ risky _ to use twice, because it’s already a known location.”

“We still have to rule it out, LaF.” Laura said jovially, reiterating the argument that had won out so far. “This is an  _ investigative _ patrol. You’re a scientist, shouldn’t that be part of your process?”

LaFontaine rolled their eyes at the chipper tone and sighed. “The Summers have been patrolling a lot more lately, and that’s kinda in their territory. I know the Amazon is sweet on you, and it’s not like we’re  _ Zeta Bros _ , but that just means instead of trying to fight us they’ll just end up in that weirdly protective-possessive mode they get in, and try to escort us to wherever we claim we’re going.” It was another argument that they had tried in part, though perhaps not to full detail. They liked Danny well enough, she was smart and funny and got along great with Perry, but some of the others could be kinda… intense. “You didn’t see the clash they had with the Zetas last year, Frosh. They legitimately captured one of the pledges and tried to hunt him with  _ bows and arrows _ for their Adonis hunt or whatever. With  _ antlers _ strapped to the guy’s head. Your Amazon catching him in a trap and stringing him up from a freaking tree is probably the only reason he wasn’t actually shot with an arrow, and the fighting after that between the groups was crazy. The Dean stepped in Laura. The  _ Dean _ .”

Laura was blushing a bit, and LaF raised both eyebrows, snapping on a pair of disposable lab gloves in preparation for whatever they did eventually find. “Danny’s not  _ my _ Amazon. I mean, we’re not…” She was obviously flustered. “We’re not… I don’t think? She’s just helped me study a little! And we might have had a casual dinner.”

“Sounds like a date to me, Frosh.” LaF chuckled a little bit, and bumped their shoulder against hers. “But seriously, her sisters can be kinda crazy.”

“We’ll be fine!” Laura exclaimed a little too loudly, and both of them looked around to see if anyone had noticed. It was easily around ten in the evening, and as such early enough for most college students to still be up and about, probably partying if the Zetas were throwing another of their ragers. Quieting her voice, she ducked her head a little. “We will. If they ask us where we’re going, just say you’re helping me do some research for my journalism project. It’s the truth after all.”

“You’re frighteningly optimistic about that, but sure.” LaFontaine let out a soft breath, and then glanced back. The cat was still following them.

The evening was surprisingly peaceful, for one that was supposed to be the setting of another creepy ritual. The sky overhead was clear, with twinkling stars spread across the backdrop of the night. It was a little eerie with no visible moon to accompany the scene, but pleasant enough. The housing for the Summers Society was mostly dark, with few lit windows to show some of the sisters up studying or active in their rooms. Laura and LaFontaine did note a trio of them passing behind the building toward the woods, all three carrying bows or spears, and LaF offered a knowing look at Laura’s surprise. They had  _ not _ been exaggerating about the previous year. Both of them were extra quiet as they moved past the area, cautious of the Summers patrols catching them out alone.

When they’d finally reached the Lustig, with no sign of anyone moving about suspiciously so far - at least no more suspiciously than they were - LaFontaine turned to whisper quietly to Laura. “So, what do you think we’re looking for? A bunch of people in robes with torches?”

“Maybe.” Laura paused, then reached into her bag to pull out one of her bottles of water and a camera. “If they’re using special costumes, they might be changing in and out of it at whatever site they use, though… or they might not dress up at all. If it was me, I would want to be comfortable while committing strange crimes against the student handbook, and possibly against nature too.”

They both looked around again, seeing no other obvious signs of someone nearby, and began to circle the building. Laura, oddly, took pictures of each door and window that they could get decent enough lighting of, LaFontaine begrudgingly taking a few on their phone as well. The phone’s camera was, as they had already told her, more likely to actually manage to have some sort of detail in the dark. Neither of them noted any indication that the building had been broken into - all doors and windows appeared closed and undamaged. Laura even tried checking to make sure the doors they encountered were locked, after retrieving a pair of the gloves that LaF had provided for the evening.

It took them a good hour of circling the Lustig to finally determine that there was no one inside of the building, nor were there people attempting to break in - other than maybe Laura. LaFontaine couldn’t help the slightly smug grin as they trudged further away from the building. They listened to Laura’s disappointed rambling about all of the weird things that had happened to the building before this as well, including a group of students setting it on fire in the early 1900s before all suffering amnesia of the event. They nodded along and let her babble, satisfied that they had at least been right. If another ritual was going to happen, then it wouldn’t be there.

“So, do you think that maybe it might have been a  _ Lustig Thing _ instead of some nutjob running around the campus?” They asked once it seemed she’d finally wound down. Laura looked at them with wide eyes. “I mean, if it was burned down - sorry,  _ partially  _ burned down - and all of the students that did it before all had gaps in their memory of doing it, maybe whoever did the ritual thing doesn’t remember either. If it’s not a prank, I wouldn’t discount that theory either.”

They were circling around the edge of the campus, walking the treeline that led out into the Styria forests that seemed to surround Silas University. LaFontaine’s flashlight was focused on the ground and brush ahead of them, looking for signs of people or paths leading away. Laura looked startled at the suggestion, but was saved from having to answer. “Laura?”

They both looked up, eyes wide, at the trio of Summers that had appeared in their path, Danny Lawrence at the lead. Laura stammered a little, surprised at being caught despite LaF’s warnings earlier, and Danny quickly strode forward. “Hey… Danny… Uh, fancy seeing you out here.” Laura’s tone was obviously nervous, and LaFontaine eyed the sisters behind Danny that looked like they were simultaneously upset, and protective. “We… How’re you doing?!”

“What are you doing out this late at night?! It’s almost midnight.” Danny dropped a concerned hand on Laura’s shoulder, then drifted it down to her elbow, holding gently but ready to escort the shorter girl. LaFontaine sighed at the sight. So much for their investigation.

“We’re working on her journalism project.” LaF offered before Laura could babble and give everything away. Danny looked at them curiously, and the girls behind her rolled their eyes. “She’s, um, investigating the Lustig and the weird occurrences that have happened there over the years. Right Laura? Didn’t you  _ just say _ that it’s had to be rebuilt twice?”

Their leading tone made Laura’s eyes light with manic understanding, and she nodded, immediately starting to recite a huge list of historical facts from her research prior to this whole ritual situation. “And in 1970 a group of science majors somehow managed to use a variety of chemicals from the University labs to deteriorate the building structure to the point that after two months exposure, it collapsed in on itself, killing three and injuring 15.” She was rambling, and the obvious confusion but affection on Danny’s face was almost sweet. “Then the thing that happened happened a month ago! It’s like every 22 years weird things happen!”

Both of the Summers that had been trailing behind them as Danny somehow managed to escort them further from the woods and, LaFontaine was already able to tell, toward the dorms, suddenly turned to look at Laura as she let that slip. Just… Great.

“Hey cutie…” The husked words made a chill run down LaFontaine’s spine and they turned to see a familiar figure come strutting out of what had seemed like the dark but  _ empty _ shadow of one of the school buildings. Dark hair, leather pants, a knowing smirk… the girl sauntered forward as everyone stopped, startled at the interruption, and casually broke Danny’s grip on Laura’s arm as if it weren’t even there. Her arm draped around Laura’s neck just as casually, and LaF almost gave a hysterical giggle. “I thought I recognized you.”

“Carmilla?!”


	6. Chapter 6

**“C** armilla?!” Laura stood stiff with surprise, staring at the brunette that was completely and inappropriately in her space. And oddly warm, but inappropriately in her space. Her jaw clenched.

“Oh, Sasquatch… what happened to your arm?” Carmilla asked in a cutesy voice, and Laura’s gaze quickly shot from the mocking pout on Carmilla’s face to Danny. The tall Summer’s sleeves were rolled back despite the evening’s slight chill, and the bandage stood out once the brunette had pointed it out.

“Cat scratch.”

Danny’s voice was obviously irritated, and Laura’s eyes widened. That had been _two weeks_ ago! “That still hasn’t healed?” She nearly broke away from Carmilla’s grip to look more closely at it. “Danny, I’m so sorry. I thought you said it wasn’t that bad!”

“It’s not… it’s… just taking a while to heal.” Danny glared. “Who’s your friend?”

“This is, um, Carmilla. I wouldn’t call her a friend.” Laura glared and shrugged off the arm finally, turning to glare once more at Carmilla who still looked far too smug. “More like an irritating thief! What the hell are you doing?”

“Oh, that bunched up little face you make when you’re angry is hilarious buttercup.” Carmilla practically purred, and honestly, Laura couldn’t help blushing a little as she heard that. Then she then gently placed a hand in the middle of Laura’s back, pushing her softly forward and smirking over her shoulder at Danny as Laura, for some reason, allowed herself to be guided away. “But if you insist, allow me to make it up to you. I’m sure I can think of _something_ to satisfy your ire.” Glancing between Carmilla, the Summers, and LaF who was quick to follow, Laura wasn’t quite sure why the Summers Society and Danny weren’t trying to follow. Carmilla’s fingers rubbed slightly, as if massaging as she led her along, and she called over a shoulder as they left, “Take care of that _cat scratch_ , now. Wouldn’t want it getting infected.”

The trio continued walking until they were just out of sight of Danny and the Summers, and then whatever spell keeping Laura placid finally seemed to wear off. She jerked away from the hand that had been gently pushing her along. “You! I can’t believe you! Why are you here?! Where did you even _ come from_?!” The smug grin that Laura saw on her lips was entirely too frustrating, and her hands shook as she clenched her fists. “What is your _problem_!”

“Well it looked to me like you needed some rescuing from Xena and the wannabe Amazons.” Carmilla shrugged as if bored and looked at her nails. “Pardon me if you didn’t actually mind her pawing at you and dragging you back to your room like a little girl caught out after curfew.” Carmilla’s smirk got even more cruel. “Which, with that height difference, would be an obvious assumption.”

Laura saw LaFontaine hide something between a gaping expression and a laugh, and turned bright red. “You have to be the rudest person I have ever met! Who just goes around and _says_ things like that?! And you _keep stealing my food_!”

“Thanks for that by the way. Always hits the spot.” Carmilla yawned and eyed her up and down, then looked around casually. “Ginger Two.” Laura was positive that LaF wasn’t giggling at that comment at least. “Anyway, I do have places to be. Try _not_ to get captured by the glorified babysitters again.”

Laura was left gaping as the brunette turned and began to saunter away again, as if she hadn’t just appeared out of nowhere like always. Remembering the last several times she’d had a Carmilla Encounter, and how the mysterious food thief always managed to somehow disappear as soon as Laura lost sight of her, she lunged out and grabbed the girl by the wrist. “You’re not going anywhere until you answer some questions! You _keep stealing my food_!”

“That’s not a question, sweetheart.” The drawl was unfairly smooth, and Laura blushed at the seeming insistence on pet names that the girl used. LaF just stood to the side, observing quietly and _not_ helping _at all_. “Aren’t you supposed to be a journalism major? You should know how to at least ask questions at this point.”

“Why do you keep stealing my food?!” Laura nearly shouted, then winced and looked around to see if more Summers, or even the campus security, had overheard her.

“I was hungry, and when we had our Introduction, you offered.” She shrugged, and Laura clenched her teeth. They were at least walking again, closer toward the Zetas’ territory on campus, which meant less chance of a Summers Society patrol seeing them.

“That doesn’t mean you can just take food from me whenever you’re hungry!” Laura hissed.

“Mmmn, you sure about that creampuff?” Carmilla asked in a drawl, and behind them LaFontaine giggled.

“Yes I’m sure!” Laura growled, stopping to glare at her again and shooting an irritated look at her friend too. LaFontaine was still just _not helping_. “And how do you always disappear when I try to chase after you? It’s like you’re some kind of snack ghost or something, haunting me!”

“Well I have to keep some of my secrets. Otherwise I’ll lose my air of mystery, won’t I?” Carmilla grinned cryptically, then winked and twisted around the building corner that they’d neared. Laura cursed and jumped forward, LaFontaine following her, and she was already reaching out as she turned the corner to chase after the food thief and erstwhile rescuer from the Summers’ misplaced protection. When they both turned the corner, Carmilla was gone, and a weird cloud of fog drifted into her face. She sputtered slightly, wrinkling her nose and looking around. With the night as clear as it was there should not have been any fog or mist, so _that_ was weird enough, but yet again she’d lost sight of Carmilla and in doing so completely lost her in general.

“Damnit. How does she do that?” Laura growled, stomping her foot and then turning to LaFontaine to see if they had any input, having been unhelpfully silent the entire time that Carmilla was around tormenting her. LaF just smiled awkwardly and shrugged, then reached forward and plucked a strand of long black hair from where it had fallen on her shoulder.

* * *

**L** aura woke with a gasp, nearly screaming, eyes wide and staring up into the darkness of her dorm room. On top of her chest she felt a warm comforting weight, tiny claws curled out through her blanket and nightshirt just enough to feel a prick without hurting her. The low, quiet purr was a soothing constant, and Laura lifted her hand to gently rest it across the cat’s back. She’d never woken to Kitty laying on top of her before, but she hadn’t had a dream as creepy and crazy as that one since coming to the university either.

Figures stood all around as she observed… some sort of weird, creepy ritual. A circle carved into the dirt and filled with some strange ground mixture that she hadn’t been able to identify. An unknown person behind her, leaning down and a hand passing just into her line of vision to pour a vial of what could only be _blood_ onto the circle. It had flashed a brilliant, sickly green, and around her the figures had started chanting in a language she couldn’t understand. The one that had been behind her stepped forward, blurred from her sight in the same way she couldn’t make out the faces of any of the others, and into the circle. Carried in behind the figure was, of all things, a goat strung up on a pole by its hooves, bleating pathetically. She’d woken, almost screaming, as that blurry person slashed out with a knife at the goat.

The purring continued softly, and Laura swallowed hard, drifting fingers up to scratch behind delicate ears and trying to control her breathing. Her subconscious was really freaking out. The previous week they hadn’t actually managed to find anything stranger than Summers patrolling and that food thief disappearing into nothing. LaF had suggested that it either meant that the person who’d done the ritual she first found was either moved on, or that it had something to do with the Lustig’s weirdness and not a psycho with a cult. Laura still wasn’t convinced and, apparently, neither was her subconscious if it was summoning up weird animal-sacrificing rituals in her dreams.

**_Mrrrr mrrooow_**. She flicked her gaze to the cat on top of her, then over to the other bed in the dorm. Shockingly, Betty was actually present. Her roommate was out of the dorm more often than she was present, but even now the blonde was just sleeping peacefully, undisturbed by Laura’s trauma. Sighing, she pet the cat a few more times, then lifted it to slip out of bed and through the darkness. She didn’t think she was going to get back to sleep at any point soon. At least it hadn’t been _puppies_ in her dream.

* * *

**L** aFontaine normally would be more interested in logging some more hours in the lab or doing research, but even they had the urge to enjoy a party once in a while. In addition to that, the Zetas never failed to throw a wild one. They had managed to convince Perry to go along too, after a few hours of wheelding and arguing. It was Halloween after all, and Perry secretly loved the costumes and horror films.

With how crowded the quad and areas around the Zeta Omega Mu chapter house were, they didn’t doubt for a second that things were probably completely insane. They did note that, per usual, there were small packs of Summers Society girls watching over the area, just slightly more subdued than the other party goers unless confronting a Zeta directly. That rivalry was going to cause a civil war on the campus one day, they were sure. They kept an eye on the nearest bundle of tension as they grabbed a drink for themselves and Perry, and turned to their friend with an anxious, excited smile.

“Thank you Su… LaFontaine.” Perry smiled in return, just as anxious from the crowd but watching the costumes and people with interest. Beyond their curly-haired friend, they saw what was quickly becoming a familiar and unmistakable sight. Laura was talking animatedly with Danny Lawrence, smiling brightly in a way that LaF had begun to recognize as mid-story, and just a bit away - barely close enough to be noticed - was Carmilla. It had only been just over a week since their nighttime jaunt with Laura, looking for cult activity, and though they were still skeptical about people running around making sacrifices, Laura herself was definitely an oddity.

“Welcome Perr. Whatcha think of _that_ development?” They nodded their head to where Laura and Danny were talking, though they meant Carmilla more than anything else.

“They seem really sweet together! I mean, sure, Danny is a little tall in comparison, but Laura is just lighting up talking to her.” Perry gushed a little, and LaF rolled their eyes. Laura had looked like that when she was talking about the Lustig mysteries too, so they weren’t quite sure if the real reason was Danny… and really that hadn’t been what they meant.

“I mean, yeah, sure Perr, but what I was pointing out was the gothy-stalker Laura’s got.” LaFontaine pointed with the hand still holding their cup of possibly-beer, and Perry finally noticed Carmilla watching protectively a few meters from where Laura was. Coincidentally, at that moment another almost-collision with Laura’s back happened, and the frat-boy in question stumbled instead past Laura, shouldering Danny just enough that she spilled her drink. LaF shook their head, still a little shocked at such a thing. They _really_ needed to test that effect out.

“Oh! Carmilla!” Perry’s eyes were wide, and LaFontaine turned to look at her curiously as they took a sip of the concoction that was on tap. That couldn’t _just_ be beer and they weren’t sure that they wanted to finish it. Did Perry look nervous? “I’ve seen her around once or twice. She’s… a bit intense.”

“That’s one way to put it.” LaFontaine smirked a little bit at the argument that the frat boy and Danny were still in, Laura trying vainly to calm whatever words were being thrown around. Their easy acceptance of Perry’s statement meant she had calmed, so likely just their friend not liking to judge people. “So tell me you _didn’t_ see the double-tall Zeta bro nearly plow into her and then magically reroute to hit Danny instead.”

“I’m sure he’s just drunk. This party is very… energetic.” Perry sipped at her drink finally, then made a face at it. Obviously not wanting to be rude, she offered LaFontaine an awkward and forced smile as if to thank them again, and LaF pretended not to see her discreetly pour it out on the grass nearby.

They might have said more on the Carmilla front, or the fact that Laura seemed completely immune to the press and jostle of the crowd despite her smaller stature, but whatever argument had started between Danny and the Zeta was escalating enough that some of her Summer sisters had joined her, and they faintly heard words like ‘ _stag_ ’ and ‘ _dude-scort_ ’ being thrown back and forth. Then, of all things, small fish began to be thrown instead, and the event quickly went from a typical sprawling frat party to a massive food fight.

LaFontaine lost track of Laura through half of it, but as they retreated with Perry toward the dorms, disappointed at the party being so brief for them, but amused at the results at least, they thought they saw Laura ducking past some of the Zetas throwing salted herring. She looked mostly unscathed as she bobbed and weaved between partygoers. That girl had to have some sort of weird force-field. Seriously.


	7. Chapter 7

**L** aura and Danny ducked quickly into the room, Laura’s gaze immediately sweeping in search of the cat that was too frequently there for fear of Danny seeing it again. It wasn’t anywhere in direct sight luckily. Laura offered an awkward smile as the redhead stepped through the doorway, Danny pulling her shirt away from her skin and grimacing down at the sticky combination of… everything… that had been flying through the air down there. Laura could still faintly hear the shrieks of girls, laughter, and music from the chaos that had become of the Zeta Halloween bash.

“Hey. Thanks for letting me up here with you. The Summer House is locked up right now while we’re all out patrolling and watching the party, and I don’t wanna have to find Mel to ask for a copy of the key.” Danny peeled another section of her shirt away from her body and tried not to look as grossed out as she was. “Do you, uh, mind if I try to clean some of this off? I have no idea how you managed to avoid all of that stuff.”

“I’m small and crafty.” Laura joked, bobbing and weaving in demonstration, and was rewarded with a laugh as a result. “I did get hit with a few things, but mostly just some tossed, harmless costume props. I think you’re just tall enough that you were a good target for the stickiest of projectiles.” Danny rolled her eyes and Laura laughed again. “It’s okay, go ahead and shower. I might have… um… something?... that could fit you. I’m sure there’s got to be something. Let me look.”

Danny laughed lightly again and shuffled around her toward the dorm’s bathroom. “Thanks.” The bright smile was distracting, and Laura was still blushing lightly as the door closed and she heard the shower start to run.

Okay… so her TA wasn’t just in her dorm, her TA was _showering_ in her dorm. Her very pretty TA that she definitely had a bit of a crush on and that LaFontaine had joked about her not-quite-but-maybe dating. She could handle this. She could definitely figure this out. She just still needed to find some kind of clothing that could possibly fit Danny’s admittedly bigger form. Danny was slim, but the size difference was still obvious.

_ Which, with that height difference, would be an obvious assumption. _

The thought of Carmilla’s rude statement made her grumble irritably to herself, blush and nervousness mostly gone just from the memory. Huffing quietly and turning to rifle through the wardrobe, she poked and pushed at the clothing in there, looking for anything that might work. “Stupid Carmilla.” She mumbled, quietly so that there was no chance that Danny would hear through the door and over the sound of the shower. She probably didn’t have much time before Danny was finished - the TA struck her as someone that didn’t linger under the water, especially in someone else’s room. Grabbing the largest pair of basketball shorts she had, which always had to be cinched tightly on her, and a baggy t-shirt, she turned, ready to try to hand them through the door when she heard the water turn off. Laura nearly shrieked when she saw the cat suddenly sitting on her bed, ears perked up and tail twitching with curiosity. “Kitty! No no no no no. What are you doing in here? _How_ did you get in here? If Danny sees you she’s going to freak out and try to report you again.”

The cat just leveled her with an unimpressed look, still watching her curiously, and Laura tried to shoo it away anxiously. She _really_ didn’t have time for this. As the sound of the shower faded, she twitched first in the direction of the bathroom door, then again in the direction of the cat, torn between trying to put it outside and giving Danny the clothes.

“Hey Laura?”

Damnit. Laura rushed over to the door, and knocked lightly on it as she held the clothes up in front of her face. “Yeah, sorry. I think I found something that may work? Can you reach through the door, I’m right here. Gosh I hope these fit. I didn’t think to ask what size you are, and that kinda seems like a rude thing to ask but in this situation it might be helpful. I hope they fit. I’m sorry.” She was rambling, her nervousness back not only at the thought of Danny seeing the cat in the dorm again, but also at realizing that her crush would definitely be changing and _wearing_ her clothes. The door cracked open, and Danny poked her head out, a bare shoulder able to be seen as she smiled coyly and took the clothes from Laura’s hands. “Hi!”

“Thanks.” Danny’s smile turned knowing, and as the door closed, Laura turned her red face to stare at the cat. Right, it needed to go. The judging look that she was getting from a _cat_ was just not right.

“Don’t give me that look. Nothing happened, she’s just cleaning up from the party.” Laura hissed, still blushing and hurrying to pick the cat up and deposit it out in the hall. It growled lightly, but didn’t squirm or attempt to scratch in response to her handling. “Shush. If she sees you she’s going to report you to the floor don again.”

Just as she was about to close the door, the irritated cat glaring at her from where it was sitting primly in the hall, she heard Danny opening the bathroom door. “What did you say?” Laura slammed the door closed, and turned to guiltily stare at Danny. The taller girl was scrubbing her damp hair with the towel that had been in there - Laura’s thankfully, not Betty’s - and frowned at Laura standing at the door. “Did someone knock?”

“No… um… nevermind. All clean?” Laura smiled anxiously, cursing how squeaky her voice had gotten. “Looks like you got all of it.” The shirt wasn’t exactly tight on Danny’s form, though the hem was a little high, and the shorts were definitely a little small. They worked for the moment, though.

“Yeah, thanks again Laura.” Danny looked around a little awkwardly, then sat on Laura’s bed and smiled. “Um, I can throw the towel in with my clothes when we go down to wash them, if you like.”

“It’s fine. I need to do a load of laundry anyway.” Laura fidgeted a little, then quickly sat down on Betty’s empty bed. She didn’t know if her roommate would be back at any point soon; Betty sleeping there the night before had been unusual enough. “I would have earlier today but… yeah.”

“Yeah, you mentioned having a weird dream.” Danny leaned back on her arms, towel folded across her lap, and looked at her curiously. Laura shrugged. “Probably from all of that weird stuff you said you’ve been researching about the Lustig. That place is cursed.”

“I could _almost_ believe that.” Laura rolled her eyes good-naturedly and huffed. “It’s just eerie. I mean, I told you about all of the weird things that have happened there… like it’s the one place on campus that the truly weird and destructive happens.”

“Eh… not quite as weird as the animal stuff last year… but yeah.” Danny shrugged and nodded. Laura might have asked what, exactly, that meant, if she hadn’t seen Danny’s expression move from amused and friendly to irritated and surprised. “Oh, seriously? How is that thing still here?”

Laura turned, eyes wide and confused, to find where Danny was staring at, and jumped, nearly falling off of Betty’s bed, as she realized that the cat had snuck in _again_ and was crawling from Betty’s desk and onto the bed next to her. “I _just_ put you out the door!” She hissed, and Danny frowned at her. “Seriously, she finds her way in no matter what I do, Danny, and she’s not actually hurting anything. When Perry came by she couldn’t find her, and LaF doesn’t seem bothered by her either. Please don’t report her again.”

“Laura, you can’t keep pets here. It’s seriously against the handbook regulations. Haven’t you seen the full _list_ of possible punishments for infractions like that? I don’t want you to get dragged off to the sublevels of the Robespierre building.” Danny’s nose wrinkled. “Mel said she got taken there once and the admin’s goons are supposed to be pretty extreme.”

“It’ll be fine. She’s just a stray and not actually my cat.” Laura insisted, and froze a little as the feline in question walked directly into her lap and curled up comfortably, seeming to watch Danny suspiciously as she settled in. “I mean… I get that she seems cozy. Look at her… and okay, so she’s really warm and soft and I like having her around and petting her is really comforting when I’m stressed out or when I had that dream last night, but she’s not actually my _pet_. I don’t feed her, and I don’t have a litter box or anything. No water bowls or toys or _anything_. She just… sneaks in sometimes. A lot. Sometimes.”

Danny sighed. “I get it, but I’m just concerned for you.” She looked at the cat skeptically, and Laura’s eyes flicked to the small bandage still on her arm. Three weeks now. How had it not healed?

“How’s your arm? It’s… been a while. Are you sure it’s okay? Don’t most scratches heal in, like, a couple of days? A week at most!” Laura might have gotten up to try to look at it herself, she had a first aid kit to give Danny a new bandage afterward, especially as the girl had just showered. However, the cat extended its claws just enough that they pricked through her jeans, and she decided not to disturb it’s resting spot just yet. Especially as Danny lifted a hand to cover where the small bandage was.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. It is taking a while, but one of the girls took a term of Silas Survival and Aid, and she was able to whip up a pretty decent salve. It’s almost gone now.” Danny smiled charmingly and shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I’m not supposed to expose it to air unless I’m cleaning it and putting the salve on though, according to her. I’ll be okay.” The redhead looked warningly at the cat. “It hasn’t gotten you though, right?”

“No. She’s never even tried to scratch me. I have no idea why she did to you.” Laura pouted down at the cat a little, then smiled up at Danny. “She really is very sweet usually. Betty doesn’t mind her at all. She just sheds everywhere.”

“Just… be careful Laura. I don’t think you take what the administration can do very seriously.” Danny sighed, then tilted her head and nodded her chin up. “The other night, when you were sneaking around and trying to pass it off as Lustig research,” Danny’s smirk at having seen through that deception was knowing, and Laura blushed brightly. “You mentioned that something else happened there recently?”

“Oh…” Laura hedged, trying to think of something, anything that she could say. Groaning a little, she squinted one eye closed and hunched her shoulders. “Okay, so _maybe_ I might have found some weird things there at the end of September that I’m not entirely convinced was _just_ a weird Lustig thing. There was some sort of… I don’t know, abandoned ritual site there. I know it wasn’t a practical setup for the Hecate Rituals class because I already talked to that Professor, and I am _positive_ that other stuff has been happening on campus too. I was trying to see if I could catch people in the act. I figured that, of any night, whoever it is was more likely to be trying to do it on a night of the new moon, and LaFontaine was helping me look.” Danny opened her mouth to say something. “I know! I’m sorry for lying to you! But, it’s really weird because the site just _disappeared_ overnight, and while I was able to get a few pictures through the chain link fence, they weren’t good enough to make a lot of stuff out, and something… _something_ … about them is just… it just strikes me as important. It’s like I have to figure it out myself. I mean, sure I want to use it for my journalism project, but more than that… I don’t know…”

“Gut feeling.” Danny sighed finally as Laura trailed off. Laura nodded dejectedly, petting the cat still in her lap absently, and taking comfort in the soft vibration she knew was an inaudible purr. “Laura… I get having a calling, and needing to find something out. I do… I mean… you don’t _really_ know what being a Summer is about, but part of it is watching over the campus and the girls here. Being out like that, especially investigating someone that leaves their ritual sites out and does them clandestinely… it’s _dangerous_. I… I can’t stop you from researching it, but you _have_ to tell me what you’re doing, and when you go out. Please at least promise to take me with you. I can help!”

At the insistence that she _had_ to do anything, especially when it sounded like she needed to seek permission, Laura had immediately bristled. At Danny’s plea to be able to help her, though, she deflated again. She’d… probably be pretty concerned if someone she cared about was wandering around like this without letting people know too. Even if LaFontaine had been with her, they hadn’t actually _told_ anyone they were going out in case something happened. Considering that at least one of the _mysteries_ of the Lustig involved it collapsing on itself, that probably was pretty reckless. And if Danny really did want to help, she could definitely use the backup. LaF hadn’t sounded as if they were particularly believing of it being an independent thing after they’d finished their search that night.

“Okay… okay… I can’t make too many promises - a journalist has to follow the leads as they appear! - but I can show you what I have so far… and… well….” she squinted at Danny, trying to look innocent, “I might have been planning to go out again on the next full moon to see if that made a difference, since we didn’t find anything?” Danny let out a long breath and rolled her eyes. “You can come with me if you want! I mean, it’s not like I was going to confront whoever it is on my own, and I _can_ take care of myself. What, you think my father sends me day-of-the-week bear spray and _didn’t_ sign me up for Krav Maga when I was eight?”

“Fine, but you _have_ to wait for me before you go out. The Summers have a meeting at sundown on Full Moons, but I can get here pretty quickly afterward, if I can’t get out of it.” She smiled and shook her head. “Trying to venture out, at night, alone… after some mysterious cult. Pretty ballsy, Hollis. _Reckless_ , but ballsy.” Laura glared at her playfully. “Okay, so, I’m going to go see if the food fight wound down, and if my sisters need any help clearing up whatever disaster the Zetas caused afterward. Can we, um, meet in the next few days to go over what you’ve figured out so far? I can bring your clothes back, cleaned, then.”

“Uh, yeah, sure!” Laura smiled brightly, then saw Danny eyeing the cat. Her hand draped over it’s back protectively. “I’ll, uh, talk to you about it after class on Monday.”

“Great. Monday then.”

* * *

**L** aFontaine poked their head out of their dorm to where Danny was paused, talking to Perry in the hallway. They weren’t sure what it was about, especially since Danny wasn’t a dorm resident, but she looked like she was wearing clothes that didn’t fit her very well… and definitely not weather appropriate. Her hair was wet too; hadn’t they seen her running to the dorm with Laura earlier?

They were pretty exhausted from the party and resulting food fight, and had only just finished cleaning up. Even if they hadn’t stayed for very long, apparently the excitement and craziness had taken it out of them. Odd that Danny was still around… and apparently wearing Laura’s clothes. They watched as she jogged away, looking a mix between concerned and tired herself, and Perry returned to their dorm.

“What was that about?” they asked, moving to curl up comfortably on their bed.

Perry looked at them, eyes wide and mid yawn. “Oh! Nothing much. Danny was just telling me that she saw the cat again, and that I should try looking once more. I’ll have to speak with Laura again in the morning, hopefully she’ll be able to help. It’s not like Danny to make something like that up.”

“Hm.” LaF grumbled, wondering if it would do Perry any good to be checking. Danny really should just mind her business about that… though LaFontaine did consider that they should probably get some samples. That cat was even stranger than Laura.


	8. Chapter 8

**A** s her Lit lecture wrapped up for the day, Laura stepped purposefully between Danny and where she was glaring at one of the tall boys in class, probably a Zeta. The obvious animosity looked like an argument brewing, and Danny had that stubborn-sour look on her face that she always got when dealing with one of the frat boys. He wasn’t in easy conversation distance, but with the Professor already having run off to some afternoon appointment the Zeta/Summer conflict wasn’t likely to be at all dampened. When Danny noticed her stepping between them and offering an awkward smile, she nodded and gave the boy one last irritated look before reaching out to rest an arm across Laura’s shoulders companionably.

“Hey Laura!” The grin that Danny offered was broad, and Laura tried not to start rambling as she was tugged closer to the tall girl. “Sorry about that…”

“It’s okay! I mean… you said we should talk about, well, things. The stuff I’ve found and been researching. About the Lustig… and things.” She swallowed nervously, avoidance of rambling failed, and was pretty sure she was blushing if Danny’s fond smirk was anything to go by.

“Yeah, of course! You don’t mind coming back to Summer House, right? I washed your clothes.” Danny shrugged a little, and Laura felt it awkwardly from where the arm was still draped across her. The height difference was just enough that even shrugging felt a little weird. Why was she thinking about that? Stupid Carmilla and pointing out the stupid height thing and  _ she was not child-sized _ ! Absently, Laura shook her head both in answer and to banish those thoughts. Danny was gorgeous, and very sweet, and brave, and a ton of other amazing things. It didn’t matter if she was tall. “Great! I don’t think you’ve been over, right? You never pledged or anything.”

“No… no I didn’t really know about the Summers until after pledge declarations… and I’m not that sporty.” Laura blushed lightly, and bit her lip as Danny separated from her to get the door outside. At the confused look, Laura tilted her head and hiked up her bag a little higher, shivering just slightly at the gust of colder air. November was already proving to be much chillier than she’d initially thought, though there hadn’t been any signs of snow yet. “The Summer Society is supposed to be an outdoor social club for all-girls athletics, right? You said you were VP of outdoor rec?”

“Oh! Right, yes. We’re that.” Danny nodded and laughed a little bit, apparently unbothered by the cold breeze and leading Laura across the lawn toward Summer House and territory around it. Laura tried not to find that weird… that Danny wouldn’t automatically associate the Summer Society with sports or athletics. Maybe it was just the phrasing. Then again… had Danny actually ever mentioned anything about actual athletics being done? She remembered, and had encountered, the Summers patrolling at night. They offered safe escort for any girls taking night courses, too, and could be arranged to walk with you regularly if you set it up ahead of time. And there were the  _ bows _ and  _ spears _ that the patrols apparently carried around.... “So that’s Summer House. The field directly behind and beside it are considered official Summer property, within the purview of the University.”

Laura’s attention returned abruptly to Danny and what she was saying, surprised that they had walked far enough that Danny felt it comfortable to explain. The house was easily three stories, with a few balconies jutting out from the peaked roof, and had the picturesque appearance of something out of a fantasy book, with warm stone comprising the walls, shutters on the windows, colorful roof shingles, and ivy vines crawling along large sections of the building - still green despite the late month. As they passed to the side building entrance, Laura was able to peek just far enough around to see the back field that Danny had indicated. Laura had seen the open space during her nighttime jaunt with LaFontaine, but it was much changed in the day. Tucked far enough away that she could only see the activity once they’d approached the side of the house, a group of Summers were practicing archery, shooting at targets placed just before the tree line.

“Is there some sort of archery team I didn’t know about?” Laura asked, craning her head back to see more as Danny led her into the building. “They’re really good!”

“Oh, no, that’s uh…” Danny laughed a little and gestured absently in the approximate direction of the archery practice. “It’s just part of the athletics training that we do.” She smiled again, then ushered Laura forward, dismissing the fact that at least half of the Summer Society was out behind the building, shooting arrows like they were training for something. Laura turned from considering the door, wanting to go back out to maybe take a few notes and figure out  _ why _ the Summers were determined to practice if there were no team to compete on, and looked around the house finally.

They’d come through the side entrance, avoiding what was probably a foyer or something similar, and instead saw into what was probably den at the front of the house. The area they’d come into was a large room, some kind of dining room with a few large tables and chairs, that probably doubled as a meeting room if the couple of bookcases and papers left out were any indication. Laura’s eyes widened again at the paraphernalia up on the walls, noting the collections of bows and arrows that were mounted decoratively - maybe archery really  _ was  _ just a Summer Society thing. Some of the older sets were adorned with strings of shiny beads, feathers, and leather fringe. Crystals the size of Laura’s fist sat on random surfaces, and the air smelt distinctly of an incense she couldn’t identify. Candles decorated a number of tables and shelves too, as they passed into another room and toward a stairwell. Instead of the sporty or modern decor that Laura had half expected, the walls and floors were panelled, the furnishings obviously antique and weighted with the heritage of the Summers, the decor was earthy - including strangely woven branches and twigs that marked the stairwell wall in an abstract but interesting feel - and there was none of the mess she would normally expect of college students.

“Lawrence.” The flat tone drew Laura’s attention from her curiosity toward the girl walking down the upper hallway, toward them, bow slung across her body and handful of arrows held to the side. She was pretty, with dark skin and wild hair pulled back in a tail, athletic… but the expression on her face was judging and sour, glaring at Danny and by proxy Laura, who stood beside her as they drew to a stop. “I see you’re missing another practice.”

“Barely. I shoot more than most girls here.” Danny offered, her smirk showing that she felt less than threatened by the other girl’s enmity. “Laura, this is Mel. I’ve mentioned her before. She's the keeper of the keys.” Laura had no idea what that meant, other than that she was possibly the one who had to deal with drunk Summers girls who forgot or lost their keys. “Mel, this is Laura. She’s got some information we’ll be going over. President Elizabeth already knows I’m skipping out to talk to her.”

“Listen, Lawrence, you’re not the  _ only _ Legacy in this house anymore. My grandmother was a Summer just like yours.” Mel stepped forward, entering Danny’s personal space and narrowing her eyes aggressively. Laura looked between them nervously. “The special treatment won’t last much longer, and when everyone recognizes that you’ve been skipping out on your duties… next year the Presidency is mine.”

“That’s not…” Danny shook her head, then sighed. “That’s not what this is, Mel. I’ll… I’ll talk to you about it, to everyone, at the next meeting.” Mel’s eyes remained narrowed, then she glanced dismissively at Laura.

“Go play with your girlfriend.” Mel growled, then stalked past, trotting lightly down the steps in spite of her attitude. Laura couldn’t even hear her once she’d passed out of sight. Had the Summer been taking lessons from Carmilla?

“Sorry about her.” Danny grumbled, blushing obviously, then leading Laura into one of the rooms. Lucky - Summers apparently got to have singles to themselves instead of sharing like in the dorms. “I kinda… opposed… her entrance to the Summers last year. When she first pledged she wasn’t really Summer material. That changed obviously, but she still has it out for me.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I’m pretty sure LaF has joked about us dating before. I think. Maybe. Totally not a big deal. I mean… yeah… it’s okay!” Laura rambled, blushing as she thought of what Danny might be apologising about. “Totally okay. Um, here, I brought over all of my notes, and some pictures, and some books. I really need to get a lot of these back to the library.”

“That’s not… I…” Danny flushed again and looked away, and then pulled out a chair at her desk for Laura to use, gesturing to the surface for them to spread out the materials on. “Nevermind. You went to the  _ library _ ?”

“I promise it’s not that creepy. They have some weird stuff, I guess, but it’s fine.” Laura dismissed, waving a hand, and dumping her entire bag onto the desk. “Oh shoot, I forgot the almanac.”

“Oh, I have one!” Danny ducked to the side, pulling out an almanac that was far nicer than the one that was sold through the campus store. It was bound in a soft material that Laura wasn’t sure wasn’t leather, with an embossed symbol she guessed had something to do with either the Summer Society, or the almanac itself. “Okay, show me what you’ve got.”

“Wow… okay…” Laura blinked hard, at a loss, between Danny and her array of mish-mashed information. She took several long minutes, carefully laying out the books, notes, and pictures in order, and tried as she did so to explain what all she’d found, and what she and LaFontaine had been looking into. “... and you’re right! It’s just a gut feeling right now. I have  _ no _ idea where this is going or where it came from, or who might be doing it… I don’t even know if more has happened or will happen… but something in me says that it’s  _ important _ , and I can  _ feel _ that it needs to be figured out. Something big is going to happen with it, my journalistic instinct is screaming that.”

“Journalistic Instinct?” Danny asked with a subtle smirk, and Laura looked at her with a defensive pout. “Sorry, sorry. I get it! I do. I mean, these photos are pretty terrible, but even from these, and those symbols you were trying to decipher, I can tell it’s too elaborate to be a prank.” Danny paused and waved the papers that Laura and LaF had sketched the symbols on… which Laura immediately feared would disappear into Danny’s possession and she really should have made extras like when she’d gone to the professor. “Which, by the way, is  _ dangerous _ . No messing with arcane arts, even just doodling symbols. You never know what might happen.”

“Seriously Danny?” Laura wrinkled her nose and glowered, and definitely took offense to the look on the redhead’s face that said she thought it was cute instead of intimidating. “One, don’t look at me like that when I’m upset. It is rude and dismissive! Two, do you really believe in this stuff? I mean, come on… just doodling out the symbol is going to do something?”

“Well, not usually… but it depends. I mean, most symbols require something to power them…” Danny’s expression had smoothed from the  _ just-saw-a-puppy _ cuteness to thoughtful, then skeptical as she realized that Laura wasn’t buying her statement. “But seriously Laura, playing with this kind of stuff can be super dangerous. Even if  _ you _ don’t believe in it, which would be weird considering all of the other stuff going on and around you, but even if you don’t believe in it… words, symbols, actions: they all have power. Belief makes them more potent, but sometimes  _ ignorance _ can power them too. Promise me,  _ promise me _ , that if you try to doodle or sketch out anything else like this  _ ever _ you’ll call me first so I can keep an eye on things. Someone who doesn’t believe is probably more dangerous than a real novice.”

Laura glowered more. On the one hand, Danny obviously thought that this was all real to some extent. That was good, because it meant she took the research and the situation seriously. On the other hand, she was also telling Laura what to do again, whether out of concern for her or not… that wasn’t just affection, that was an obvious opinion that Laura couldn’t take care of herself. Especially with silly little doodles. “I’ll be fine Danny.” was all she offered, meeting the Summer’s eye and holding her ground. She wasn’t about to promise anything like calling Danny just because she was going to try to sketch something from a picture, or that she might have found while she didn’t even have a camera on hand. They traded stubborn stares for a long minute before Danny clenched her jaw and just looked back down at the page in her hand. “Anyway, you said you wanted to help me look around on the full moon? I was just going to do some rounds and maybe try to sneak into some harder to reach areas, since I don’t know much about this stuff right now… but do you have other suggestions?”

“Uh, kind of. We can probably ignore some of the areas that the Summers patrol in, since they’d find anything unusual like this.” Danny chewed on her lip and considered Laura, then sighed and shrugged. “But here, give me some of those books and I’ll look through them too. Maybe I’ll find something that you and LaFontaine hadn’t caught. I still can’t believe you went to the  _ library _ .  _ Alone _ .”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Laura huffed, handing over a book and cracking one herself to re-read in vain.


End file.
